Meant to Be
by Klappy
Summary: Some things that are supposed to be are not always meant to be. A single kiss proved this to Yuuri.
1. Prologue: First Kiss

**A/N:** Now there have been rumors about a decrease in the number of _Yuuram_ fanfiction, and that is definitely bothersome. Therefore, as a loyal fan, I hereby present to you my second Kyou Kara Maou fanfiction, featuring my beloved _Yuuram_. Enjoy reading and reviewing, everyone.

**Warning(s):** _Shounen-ai_ or boy-and-boy relationship. Can't tolerate it, don't read. It's that simple. This fiction will be appropriately be "rated-T" due to contents on upcoming chapters (e.g. language and plot) and may change in regards to changes in the story line **IF** anyone would be so willing as to _read and review_. Expect grammar flaws and misspelled words as well (they are _inevitable_) and before I forget: _OOC_. Klappy is now a self-proclaimed queen of OOCness (although I try not to be). lol

On the same account, this story is a spin-off from the OVA, "Kyou Kara Maou R!", and may therefore contain a minimal number of spoilers.

**Disclaimer:** _Kyou Kara Maou_ and its characters belong to Tomo Takabayashi. However, this story and its plot rightfully belong to yours truly.

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**MEANT TO BE**

_Some things that are supposed to be are not always meant to be._

He wanted to move, but he could not. He wanted to scream for help, but it seemed as if he had lost his voice. He felt completely helpless as he watched the blond Mazoku ex-prince inch his face closer and closer to his own, Wolfram's breath warm on his face.

After sixteen years of not having a girlfriend, Shibuya Yuuri was about to be kissed by his fiancé. The only problem was that they were both male.

Yuuri forced himself to move in an attempt to stop Wolfram, but it was too late. Wolfram's lips felt soft and warm on his own, the kiss firm but not forced. Yuuri felt a shiver run down his spine yet, curiously, it felt very pleasant. It was not long before he realized that he was kissing Wolfram back, and not long before he realized that he was already drowning…

…drowning in the essence of the moment.

"NO!"

Yuuri's scream echoed in the spacious bedroom. He threw the blanket off him and hastily sat up, his breathing shallow and uneven. He had been having the same nightmare ever since his momentous encounter with Wolfram, and yet up to this moment he was uncertain whether he truly considered it as a nightmare.

"I can't take this anymore…" He whined dramatically. He had been in a complete state of confusion ever since the incident and it was not long, Yuuri felt, before he completely went insane. He had never thought seriously about his engagement with Wolfram, still considering it all as a tall story. His upbringing, of course, would contradict the concept of a male-and-male relationship. He was still against the thought of it, even after all the time he had spent putting up with Wolfram's continuous nagging, but the kiss…

The kiss ruined it all.

A movement from the other side of the bed caught Yuuri's attention. He turned to look, only to see Wolfram tossing and turning in his sleep. As usual, he was wearing his infamous, frilly, pink nightgown, and it was a well-known fact that he looked stunningly feminine in it. Moreover, despite his consistent snores when he was asleep and his foul temper when he was awake, Wolfram was still very attractive, and Yuuri could not help but feel admiration for the blond. He watched the rhythmic rise and fall of Wolfram's chest and the steady movement of his lips as he breathed—the same lips which he personally knew to be as soft as they looked.

More than once after the incident, had Yuuri brooded on whether Wolfram might have acted the same if he was not under Shinou's possession. Would he still have kissed Yuuri under normal circumstances?

The young demon king sighed in exasperation. Perhaps Wolfram would not, and he should feel at ease about that. However, why where there moments wherein he found himself wishing that Wolfram actually would?

"_Mou_… we're both guys! Guys!" Yuuri shouted in frustration and was surprised when a pillow collided with the top of his head.

"_Hennachoko_!" Wolfram groggily yelled at him. "What are you doing, shouting in the middle of the night?" The blond scowled at him, his nightgown hanging loose on one shoulder. "You good-for-nothing wimp, you'll even wake Greta up."

Yuuri blinked. He was not aware that Greta was sleeping on the same bed. "Ah… sorry, Wolf—eh?" Yuuri frowned: Wolfram had already gone back to sleep. His arms were around Greta's small body, and they looked exactly how a mother and her child would look like when asleep, all but for Wolfram being male.

"My… family… huh?" Yuuri said to himself as a soft smile settled on his lips.

…**To be continued…

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**A/N:** I won't say anything long. I just hope you won't forget to review. :)

5/17/10 - EDITED: I can't believe I let a typo slip. And on the first line! How embarrassing... ;P Thanks to **gkeeper91** for pointing that out! :)


	2. Chapter One: Yuuri's Dilemma

**A/N: **I made the most stupid mistake of publishing the first chapter with the prologue. So sorry about that, folks. Here's Chapter One again. Enjoy.

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**CHAPTER ONE**

Sunlight poured into the spacious and elegantly decorated dining room. The various ornamentations that adorned the room sparkled in their magnificence, along with the silverware arranged atop the circular dining table. This morning's breakfast constituted of a variety of Japanese-style dishes, specially made for the Maou. Said Maou_,_ however, appeared not to appreciate the feast spread out in front of him. Instead, Yuuri was languidly tossing a chunk of food around his plate with his fork, his eyes drooping and baggy.

"Is there something wrong, Heika?"

"What do you mean, Conrad?" Yuuri drawled on. Then he sighed, which caused Conrad to worry even more.

"If you don't like the food, I can tell Doria to cook something else." He offered, but Yuuri's response was the same.

Unknown to Conrad, the food had nothing to do with Yuuri's current behavior. Yuuri had a dilemma: a dilemma named "Wolfram." He was not able to sleep anymore after he had woken up from the nightmare last night. What made things worse was that the object of said nightmare was mere inches from him. He had attempted to escape by taking a stroll through the castle premises, but it only made matters worse.

"Yuuri, ohayou!" Greta entered the room, her face beaming with cheer. However, even her optimism had no effect on Yuuri's present state. He only replied with a halfhearted "Good Morning" and continued staring into nothingness. Greta held his hand and asked worriedly, "What's wrong, Yuuri?"

Yuuri shook his head. "Nothing," he said. _Whom am I kidding? There is no way _this_ is just nothing, _he thought bitterly.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Gunter entered the room, oblivious of the current situation. "Ah, Heika," he started in a voice full of affection. "The birds sang me a lullaby to keep me in my sleep, but the thought of seeing you and being with you the whole day woke me…" He droned on.

"Gunter."

Gunter temporarily ended his monologue at Conrad's interference. "Conrad, please do not interrupt me as I express my complete reverence to His Majesty—"

"—who is apparently uninterested." Conrad intercepted.

This upset Gunter, but upon finally seeing Yuuri's state, exaggerated worry overcame him. "Heika! What has happened to you? Perhaps," Gunter gasped, "you're sick! His majesty, the Maou, is sick! Guards!" He screamed in complete panic that not even Conrad was able to calm him down. "Guards! Dakaskos, where are you? Call for a doctor!" He hastily scrambled towards the door, still shouting. "A doctor! A doc—!"

To everyone's shock, the door burst open for the second time that morning and slammed into Gunter, instantly rendering him unconscious.

Shouts of "Gunter!" echoed in the room. Yuuri, too, had snapped out of his pondering, alarmed at what had just happened. What he saw next, however, aggravated the situation further.

Wolfram stood at the doorway, already bathed and dressed. It was evident, though, that sleep had not completely left him, as he was rubbing his eyes and staring groggily ahead. "What's with the face, Conrad?" The blond said, noting the alarmed expression on Conrad's face.

"Well, you see…"

"If you have a problem with me, say it." Wolfram snapped. He was still unaware of the person sprawled on the floor in front of him.

"That's not it, Wolfram." Conrad smiled with uncertainty, but Wolfram was not one to take excuses.

"Humph," was Wolfram's retort. Then he walked straight to the dining table without even noticing Gunter. "Ohayou, Greta." He smiled upon reaching the table. The little girl greeted him back, but Wolfram was quick to notice the frown on her face when she spoke. "What's wrong, Greta?" He asked and eventually noticed that she was holding Yuuri's hand.

Greta seemed about to cry. "Something's wrong with Yuuri," she said to Wolfram.

Wolfram frowned and turned to Yuuri, his emerald eyes boring deep into Yuuri's black ones. "What's wrong, Yuuri?"

"N-Nothing…" Yuuri stuttered. He could feel beads of sweat running down the side of his face as he tried his best to avoid Wolfram's gaze. "Just… just…"

"Just? Just what?" Wolfram scowled at him. "Are you all right, Yuuri? Your face is kind of red…"

"Perhaps Gunter is right in saying you are sick, Heika," Conrad said.

Wolfram hastily stood from his seat in alarm. "What? Yuuri's sick?" He approached Yuuri closer and held his shoulders. "Is it true, Yuuri?"

Yuuri felt his heart leap to his throat at the contact, and he could not stop himself from trembling. "N-No… not… n-not that… no…"

Conrad noticed the sudden change in Yuuri's behavior, and it seemed that he was the only one to do so. He watched as Yuuri continued to stutter and tremble, and noticed that the young demon king was actually blushing and avoiding Wolfram's eyes. If what he was thinking was correct, then Yuuri was… Conrad could not help but chuckle at this realization.

"Stop kidding me, you wimp! You're obviously sick!" Wolfram shouted and edged his face closer to Yuuri's face. He placed the back of his hand on Yuuri's forehead in an attempt to assess his temperature, and Yuuri's face noticeably went ten shades of red at Wolfram's touch.

Yuuri swore his heart was about to explode. _You're kidding me!_ He thought in panic. He let out a scream and pushed Wolfram away from him. Then he stood up and dashed out of the dining room, stepping on Gunter in the process. Greta hurriedly ran after him.

"Yuuri!" Wolfram shouted after him and was about to follow when Conrad held him back. "Conrad—"

"Don't, Wolfram" was Conrad's only remark before he left, leaving Wolfram in the room alone with an unconscious and battered Gunter.

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_This is all a lie…_

Sweat continuously trickled down his face and fell into dark blots on the ground. There was pain in his chest and lower abdomen, and his heart pounded fiercely against his chest. Even breathing proved to be an ordeal for him now.

"This," Yuuri gasped, "is nothing but a big, fat lie…" He was unaware of how far he had run away from the dining room, but he was certain that he was still inside the castle. "I should have taken Conrad's training more seriously." He murmured to himself as he wiped the sweat from his eyes. With his breathing still uneven, he began to walk again, determined to further increase the distance between him and Wolfram. He complained to himself as he trudged on, complained about how a wimp he really was for running away with no reason at all.

No, there probably was a reason. He just did not know what it was.

"Maybe I better go back to Earth. Perhaps Mother would know—no, no, no!" He shook his head fiercely. "I can't tell her. I can't tell anyone about this. I'm not even sure what _this_ is… Ah, this is so frustrating!" Yuuri cried out, wagging his arms and stomping his feet like that of a child having his tantrum.

"Heika!"

Yuuri turned to where the call came from, only to find a baseball ball coming straight at him. He stretched his arm out on reflex. It was a weak pitch, and he was ultimately certain that he would catch it, but he did not. With a feeling of disappointment, he picked up the ball and stared unhappily at it, wondering why he was not able to catch it.

"It is uncommon for you not to catch a ball that I pitched, _Heika_."

"You don't need to point out the obvious, Conrad." Yuuri said, still staring sadly at the ball. "And stop calling me _Heika_, Nazukeoya."

The second son's reply was a small chuckle. He approached Yuuri and took the ball from the boy's hand. "Shall we do it again?" He said before walking a couple of steps away from Yuuri. The young king was still mumbling "What?" when Conrad threw his second pitch. This time, Yuuri managed to catch the ball. Still, he was not pleased.

Conrad stood from the ground and stared at the boy in front of him. It was a fact that Yuuri did not look like the king that he should be, but at that moment, he looked more fragile than he usually did. He walked back to Yuuri saying, "Shall I call for a doctor? It might be best for you, Yuuri." The other shook his head though.

"I don't need a doctor," the boy said.

"Then perhaps you need…" Conrad paused for effect before adding, "Wolfram."

Yuuri's reaction to his statement was enough to confirm his earlier speculations. The boy's face automatically _transformed_ into an overripe tomato and he was trembling from head to toe. He stammered as he made exaggerated gestures and excuses along the lines of "What are you talking about?" "What do you mean by that?" and "I don't need him!" and so on. His rambling went on for a while before he abruptly stopped, yelped, and ran away again.

The reason for this was a sudden call of "Yuuri!" from none other than Wolfram himself. The call came from afar, but Yuuri knew it was from Wolfram and that was enough to send him running off for the second time that day.

"Stop following me, Conrad!" Yuuri shouted as he ran as fast as he could with Conrad tailing him from behind.

They reached a secluded part of the castle, somewhere near the stables, and here Yuuri climbed up one of the trees. He climbed like a monkey and settled on one of the thick branches, thinking that Wolfram would not be able to find him there. Conrad followed him suit, and a few minutes passed in silence between them.

Yuuri watched the horses currently grazing near the stables and searched for Ao amongst them. What he found was Wolfram's horse though, its ivory mane glistening under the sun.

"Stop kidding me," was Yuuri's sudden remark. Conrad watched him intently as he started to rant. "It's always Wolfram: Wolfram here, Wolfram there. All I've been seeing this morning is he. It's getting so annoying already…" The boy whined, his lips in the form of a pout. "I'm getting tired of this, Conrad. What I need is a psychiatrist, not a doctor."

"Oh," Conrad could not contain his amusement. His assumptions were indeed correct, and he was greatly pleased with what was happening.

"What are you smiling about, Conrad? There's nothing to smile about!"

"A psychiatrist is also a doctor, Yuuri." Conrad added as an aside. "Though I doubt you'll have to go that far." He said and smiled at Yuuri. Yuuri had seen that particular smile several times in the past, and it did not come as a surprise when he felt himself warming up to Conrad.

"Shinou is," Yuuri started, "really cunning, isn't he?" He brought his knees to his chest and hugged them tightly. "After that incident with the demon mirror… after he left Wolfram's body… I thought everything would be back to normal. But I guess I was wrong." He rocked back and forth on the branch, all the while being careful not to fall. Then he breathed in deeply and continued, "I've been having this nightmare, and it won't leave me. I can't sleep because of it. I don't want it, but I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about—" He caught his tongue before he said something he did not want to. It was not that he despised the thought, but he was nonetheless embarrassed to admit it openly. In his standards, it was still every bit bizarre. "Conrad—"

"Shinou-_heika_ always did what is best for Shin Makoku and her people." Conrad stated, his smile never faltering. "I am sure the same applies to you, Yuuri. To Wolfram, as well."

Yuuri stared at him, his thoughts traveling back to the time when they realized that Shinou sacrificed his soul in the hope that they may be able to defeat Soushu. With that, Yuuri's face broke into a smile. He was still not sure what his relationship with Wolfram had to do with Shinou's will and Shin Makoku's fate, but if it is for the best…

A thought suddenly came to him. All this time he was certain that he alone, knew about his encounter with Wolfram. Was it possible that…

Yuuri gasped. "Conrad! It—It can't be! Y-You knew?" He expected, or rather, wanted Conrad to show confusion and ask him what he meant, but Conrad just kept smiling at him. "You're lying!"

"YUURI!"

Wolfram's voice came from below. His emerald eyes were luminous with anger, veins popping at the side of his head. "What are you doing up there, you wimp? And why are you alone with—WAH!"

"Heika!"

There was a loud crashing sound and the next moment, Yuuri was on the ground on top of a struggling Wolfram, fallen leaves and small, broken branches scattered around them. He had dramatically fallen from his place atop the tree branch and landed, ironically, on Wolfram.

All the while, Yuuri wore on his face an expression of complete astonishment. _You're kidding me!_

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…**To be continued…**

**A/N:** Chapter One done! I'll be waiting for your reviews, everyone. :)


	3. Chapter Two: Fallen Caloria

**CHAPTER TWO**

"Stop running away from me!"

Wolfram's voice echoed in the empty hallway, empty but for him and Yuuri. He was presently chasing after his fiancé, who, ever since that morning, had obviously been avoiding him. _He's hiding something from me,_ thought Wolfram, and said thought was literally getting on his nerves.

"What made you think I was running away from you?" Yuuri lied. It was a lie, after all, since he _was_ running away from Wolfram. His conversation with Conrad earlier that morning made it clear that he must stay away from the blond, else he ended up doing something that was, for him, morally wrong. At present, that is.

He made a sharp turn into another hallway and hastened his pace, determined to escape. From the far side of the hallway, however, a door swung open and Gunter appeared.

"Ah, Gunter!" Yuuri called, actually pleased to see Gunter. The last he saw of the latter was when he was unconscious and sprawled over the dining room floor, and somehow, he had a vague memory of having stepped on him…

It was apparent that Gunter beamed at the sound of Yuuri's voice, much more at the sight of him. "Heika," said Gunter, tears suddenly pouring from his eyes. "I thought I would never see you again!" He caught Yuuri as the boy came near him and locked him in a tight embrace. "I feel so ashamed of what had happened this morning, but the shame cannot compare to the worry I felt for you, my Majesty," he bawled, unaware that his Majesty was already suffocating in his embrace.

"Let go of him, Gunter!" Wolfram finally reached them and angrily snatched Yuuri away, the latter gasping for breath. "And what do you mean by _my_ Majesty?" The blond snapped, jealousy written all over his face.

"Wolfram," said the king's advisor with a sudden seriousness in his voice. "Such immaturity displayed in front of His Majesty is very inappropriate. As one of the king's subjects, you should be well aware of that."

"I'm not just his subject, I'm his fiancé!"

"And as his fiancé, you are acting quite foolishly, might I add. Perhaps this is why His Majesty does not consider your engagement seriously."

It was as if a sudden, sharp bolt of electricity coursed through Wolfram's consciousness at this statement from Gunter. He had heard of it several times before, yet at that moment, peculiarly, it affected him greatly. "W-What did you say?" His cheeks flushed from embarrassment, Wolfram tried to regain his anger. His voice quivered slightly as he spoke, but he was not about to show weakness. "Yuuri's my fiancé so I can do what I want with him! And—Yuuri!" Wolfram exclaimed, surprised by Yuuri's sudden appearance behind Gunter.

Chuckling nervously, the young king mentioned about not having finished his lesson about a particular country's history, and forced Gunter back into the room from where he had appeared. Wolfram knew it was another of Yuuri's excuses to escape from him and tried to stop him, but the next thing he knew was the door slamming in his face. He called out angrily and pounded on the door with his fists, and eventually stopped when he realized that he was acting foolishly indeed.

He did not need to be a genius to know that Yuuri was avoiding him for it was as obvious as the concrete door in front of his face. Though it was difficult for him to admit, there was a possibility that Gunter was right. For all he knew, Yuuri could have been avoiding him all because he took their engagement for granted. The young demon king never did express any indication of considering it as a serious matter. This realization pained Wolfram. At that moment, it felt as if a knife pierced through his heart. It was not a secret that he… that Yuuri was special to him. The question was whether Yuuri felt the same…

Wolfram slightly jerked when he felt another hand holding his own. He looked down to see Greta, concern evident on her face. "What's wrong, Wolfram?" The girl said. "Your hand was shaking so much…"

It was true, Wolfram realized. He had been clenching his fists so tightly that blood had already accumulated in his knuckles. "Ah," he flexed his hand. "This… this is nothing, Greta."

"Are you sure? You looked like you wanted to cry."

Wolfram knelt down and smiled at his daughter. "I'm all right. Honest." He bit his tongue. He knew he was lying to Greta. He was also lying to himself.

"All right, then." Greta grinned widely. "Wolfram, is Yuuri inside? Do you think he can read to me Anissina's new book?" The girl asked enthusiastically. Wolfram finally noticed the thick, leather-bound book that she held under her left arm. He took the book from Greta. On the cover were neatly engraved golden letters spelling out the words: _Dokuonna Anissina and the Corsage of Malevolence_. As usual, Anissina's books portrayed her uncanny and rather dangerous disposition, and Wolfram still wondered whether it was appropriate for children to read such books.

"Yuuri is studying." He gave the book back to Greta.

Disappointment was clear on Greta's face, but she nonetheless smiled. "Oh, then… will you read it to me, Wolfram? You always did before." Greta asked as she stared hopefully at Wolfram.

Admittedly, Wolfram knew that he was not in the right state of mind to read Greta a book as he always did. A jumble of thoughts and emotions welled up inside of him and at that moment, he yearned for solitude rather than company. Nevertheless, he did not want to disappoint his daughter further. He offered his hand to Greta and said "Yes," albeit reluctantly, and the two of them headed towards the castle garden.

Greta excitedly told Wolfram about scenes from the book that Anissina already read to her previously. She playfully mimed certain parts of the story, laughed and exclaimed in all the right places. Little did she know that her second father was not listening to her at all or rather, Wolfram was too preoccupied in his thoughts to pay attention to anything else.

Even though Yuuri did not regard their relationship seriously, although it hurt for Wolfram to admit, the young king never attempted to avoid him completely before as he did now. There was certainly another reason. _He's hiding something,_ thought Wolfram again, and he was determined to know what that "something" was. Secrecy had never been Yuuri's forte, and Wolfram was too keen when it came to his fiancé. Yuuri was too naïve and impossibly nicer than anyone else. His perpetually positive disposition can melt even the hardest of hearts, and it was the primary reason as to why almost everyone was attracted to the young king.

"Wolfram?" said Greta, surprised that Wolfram stopped all of a sudden. "Wolfram, what's wrong?" Greta asked worriedly. She realized that Wolfram's hands were trembling again before the latter muttered something under his breath. "Wolfram?"

Wolfram felt as if there was something lodged in his throat. All of a sudden, he found it hard to breath. He tried to suppress his thoughts, horrified of the slightest possibility of it. Of all the reasons, why _that_?

"Shinou-heika," whispered Wolfram, his voice full of hurt. "Please, anything but that…"

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The slow but steady _tick_ of the grandfather clock echoed in the silent room. Darkness covered its entirety, the moon offering but little illumination through the massive windows. A majestic bed stood on the middle of the room, barely visible in the shadows. Cradled in it was none other than Yuuri, who lied face down on the plush mattress.

The young king was already deep in his slumber. He had spent the entirety of the day studying the history of innumerable countries—from the small isle of Bandarbia to the vast territories of Big Shimaron—and was excessively exhausted. Somewhere along Gunter's spectacularly long and tedious monologue, Yuuri had regretted his decision of considering Gunter as a refuge from Wolfram. Admittedly, his insistence on studying earlier was only a front to escape from the blond. It was foolishness on his part, yes, and he paid for it dearly. It was not long before he had desperately wished for Wolfram's company rather than Gunter's company.

At dusk, Gunter finally dismissed him, and he headed straight to the comforting confines of his room. He immediately collapsed onto his bed upon arriving, his head still throbbing from the recent ordeal. A few minutes passed and Conrad came to bring him his dinner, but said dinner was left untouched as Yuuri fell asleep not long after.

Before sleep overcame him, however, Yuuri still had thoughts of Wolfram. Subconsciously, he waited for the blond to enter the room and climb onto the space beside him, but Wolfram did not come.

Now, Yuuri was dreaming.

It was a very strange dream. Wolfram was still in it, but it was not about the kiss. In the dream, Wolfram was in the royal court, and he was kneeling in front of the throne. He was saying something incomprehensible, Yuuri observed, to the king. The next that Yuuri saw was his self. He was the king, of course. However, Yuuri felt strange with what he saw: it was like watching a movie in which he was an actor. He, or rather, the Yuuri in the dream was also saying something in turn. It seemed like a normal yet curiously formal conversation between him and Wolfram.

The only difference was the woman clinging to his left arm.

Yuuri woke with a start. It was not an ordinary dream, of that he was completely certain. It was the same vision he saw through the demon mirror: his and Wolfram's future.

The young king sat up on his bed, the shadows enveloping his slender form. He could feel his hand trembling. Since the incident with the demon mirror, Yuuri had not seen the vision, even in his dreams. Not until now, that is. Was there a particular reason why he dreamt about it?

The mattress slightly creaked when Yuuri stood up. He went in front of the massive window, the sadness he felt visible through his reflection on the glass. Somehow, he was saddened and pained at what the vision foretold him. He believed in Fate for Fate brought him to Shin Makoku. Yet he also believed that an individual had control over his own future. The vision clearly showed how his relationship with Wolfram would turn out, and he was not, at most, pleased about it.

Voices from the other side of his door brought Yuuri out of his pondering. The sound of footsteps belonged to guards, Yuuri noted. The neighing of horses outside then caught his attention, and he looked back out of the window to see a couple of guards clad in green enter the castle grounds on horseback.

_Green_, Yuuri mused. "Gwendal!"

The young king hurriedly ran out of the room and headed down to the castle grounds. Upon arriving at the front stairs, Yuuri noticed that the others were already there.

"Heika," said Conrad. "I thought you were already asleep."

"I'm awake now," Yuuri said. He saw that Gunter and Gwendal were already engaged in a conversation, along with Geigen Huber. They were discussing a serious matter, Yuuri observed, for the expression on Gwendal's face was more stern than usual.

Two days ago, Gwendal left with his personal guards on a mission of which objectives Yuuri still did not know of. Yuuri had heard from Conrad that it was only another borderline dispute, yet Yuuri was not sure he completely believed that. A mere borderline dispute did not require Gwendal's full attention. Usually, he left the task either to Gunter or to Huber.

"That Belal will not stop at anything."

Yuuri gasped. "Belal? What did Belal do again?" He approached them closer.

"H-Heika!" said a startled Gunter. It was apparent that he, along with Huber and Gwendal, was unaware of Yuuri's presence until that moment. "Y-You should be in your room, taking your rest, Your Majesty."

Yuuri shook his head. Now he was certain that it was not a mere borderline dispute. "You said something about Belal—"

"—you must have heard wrong, Your Majesty—"

"—what's with him? What's going on?" Yuuri insisted despite Gunter's excuses. "Gwendal!" He turned to the stern-faced Mazoku who remained frustratingly silent. "Gwendal!"

"It would be better if you went back to your room, Yuuri."

Yuuri turned to see Wolfram coming down the concrete stairs. Their eyes met for a moment but to Yuuri's utter surprise, Wolfram had been the first to look away. The blond passed by him with an unusual air of indifference and started his own conversation with Gwendal. It was so sudden, yet Yuuri was certain he felt an intense pain course through his chest at Wolfram's indifference.

A hand had made its way to Yuuri's shoulder; Conrad had somehow approached him without him knowing. "Now, now," Conrad started. "The king is to be informed of relevant matters concerning his kingdom, is he not, Sir von Voltaire? Sir von Christ? I think this matter has reached a point to which His Majesty must have complete knowledge of." The tone of his voice remained unchanged as Conrad addressed Wolfram, "You, of all people, should know that Yuuri would not be discouraged that easily from knowing the truth."

Wolfram bit his lip at Conrad's statement. He knew that, of course. At present though, he was more concerned of matters that inevitably concerned his relationship with the young king. Seeing and being with him would only complicate things: it was not an easy task for him to avoid Yuuri and it would never be.

"Very well, then," affirmed Gwendal, albeit reluctantly. He gave commands to his men and headed inside the castle as the others followed him from behind.

_Caloria has fallen captive to Big Shimaron. A mass murder will occur if the Maou will not surrender to the humans. This was Belal's orders._

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…**To be continued…**

**A/N:** Chapter Two done! Review. Please. :)


	4. Chapter Three: No sense denying

**A/N:** I'm on this major "update spree" that I've finally decided to do, and this story was third. And no, this story is absolutely _not dead_! It will never be that. :) I'd shoot myself in the head if I wasn't able to finish this, no matter how long it takes me. So read on!

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**CHAPTER THREE**

The air was stifling with tension as Gwendal laid out the details of Caloria's capture. Contempt and scorn was evident on the faces of each individual present, and Wolfram was the first to vent out his anger by slamming his fists on the long wooden table.

"That Belal will stop at nothing!" Wolfram growled. "He would even take his fellow humans hostage just so we would bend to his will! He's really a rotten, good for nothing—"

"I believe we have already established what kind of human being Belal is. But dwelling on that matter would not resolve the problem at hand."

"Even so, we can stop them, can't we? Just like before!" Yuuri supplied, and he felt a soft flutter in his chest when Wolfram voiced out his agreement.

"That's right. Brother, he used this same trick with the human children before. He failed then, he would surely fail again. All we need to do is gather the best of our soldiers and take Caloria back by force!"

"I did not say that Belal would be victorious. Though I'm afraid your methods would not be possible, Wolfram. Rather, it would prove to be more disadvantageous."

Gwendal had his gaze on Yuuri for a fleeting moment, which Yuuri did not fail to register, before the man turned his attention to Huber. At this, Huber laid out the rolled-up map he had been holding on the table. Said map was an outline of the small country of Caloria with marks placed on its boundaries. "Belal had recruited a massive number of Horyouku users, along with stone catapults and experienced archers. A battalion of Big Shimaron soldiers were dispatched and are currently residing at the Gilbit Mansion." Huber explained while pointing at each of the marks.

"Surprisingly, this was well thought of." Conrad said, his almond-colored eyes scanning the map with intensity.

"Precisely," Gwendal stood from his seat and walked to the enormous window behind him, his back facing the rest of them. "A large scale attack from our side will be the trigger that will put the citizens of Caloria to their end. It would be the same as to if _we_ gave them the death sentence instead of Belal."

Anger was sipping to each one of Yuuri's nerves. They had thwarted Belal's plans before, how could they be so helpless now?

He stood from his chair and turned to Gwendal, who was already staring at him with an expression that he could not quite decipher. "There must be some way to stop him," he said quietly. "I won't let him do what he wants."

There was a moment of silence before Gwendal returned to the table and held out a roll of parchment for them to see. "We do have the means to stop him, but it would require you on practically handing yourself over to Belal." A single look of confusion was evident on the others' faces as Gwendal unrolled the parchment and placed it on the desk. "This is an invitation from Belal himself. He wants to have a personal and official negotiation with the Maou, along with his advisers." He sent a cursory glance across the room before adding, "The rendezvous point will be at the Gilbit Mansion."

"Tch," Wolfram scoffed. "If I had not known that Belal any better, I'd say that all of this is just a trap. And I'm quite certain I'm not wrong."

"And you're not." Gwendal supplied. "This negotiation might as well be a repeat of the incident at Bandarbia, but I'm afraid that this time we have no choice but to agree."

"What do you mean, Brother?" Wolfram scowled at him, surprised as to how easily Gwendal had yielded to Belal's proposition. "We could simply send one of the people here to act as Yuuri's replacement, as you have done before, and–"

"Wolfram!"

The blond fell silent at Yuuri's sudden outburst. "W-What?"

"Are you suggesting that we put someone's life in danger again?" Yuuri asked, seemingly infuriated by the mere thought of anyone getting hurt.

"Of course not!" Wolfram retorted. "It's just the most sensible thing to do. Or are you telling us that you would rather face Belal and risk your own life?" When Yuuri did not answer him, Wolfram's eyes widened in realization and he rushed over to the young king, albeit frenetically. All other thoughts aside, he seized the front of Yuuri's shirt and bellowed, "We're not doing that, Yuuri!"

Yuuri could practically feel Wolfram's gaze burning into him, the other's breath warm on his face at how proximal they were. The young king could feel his heart beating loudly in his chest and he wondered absently if Wolfram could sense it, too. But as enraged as the blond was at the moment, Yuuri doubted it. "I-It's a negotiation," he stuttered, trying his best to keep his composure. "Maybe I can somehow talk some sense into Belal–"

"Talk?" Obviously, Wolfram was not having any of that. "As if that'll work, you wimp! He'd kill you before you can even utter a single word!"

"You don't know that, Wolfram." Yuuri gasped; Wolfram was already choking him, even if it was unintentional.

"Oh, I'll tell you what I know, Yuuri. And that's that you're not going anywhere near that Belal!"

"Stop it Wolfram, you're choking him," Gunter said as he pulled the young king away from the still fuming blond. "Are you all right, Heika?" He asked and to which Yuuri nodded meekly. He turned back to the blond and simply smiled, and it was all Wolfram could do to hide the blush that suddenly stained his cheeks.

"I know that, but we can't just let Belal do what he wants."

"And playing into his hands is not that? Oh, for goodness' sake… Would you put some sense into him, Conrad?" The blond said, rolling his eyes.

Conrad smiled before he addressed the Maou. "Wolfram's only concerned about your safety, Heika," he ignored a sudden protest from the blonde, "and we all are, as well. Even if you can summon your maryoku within human territory, it is highly possible that Belal has prepared a way to prevent you from doing so, and you will apparently be at a great disadvantage if that happens."

"That is why," everyone turned their attention to Gwendal, "all who are able to accompany the Maou will escort him in this negotiation. And that simply meant every person in this room. Except Gunter." He added even before Gunter can exclaim in joy.

"And why not?"

"How the negotiation will turn out is highly uncertain, and as such we would need you here in Shin Makoku if ever Belal decides to pull a stunt." To that, Gunter did not protest. It was Wolfram who spoke instead, asking him why he had easily agreed to such plan. "The Maou's presence is but one of his consequences. If the demon king will not personally attend the negotiation, he would kill a captive until the Maou decides to appear."

This information brought new rage to Yuuri. "Then I'll just have to come before he hurts someone," he said quietly, his voice dangerously calm. He clenched his fists tightly as he found a new resolve: he would bring Belal's atrocity to an end, and he will do anything to realize that goal – even if he had to risk his life.

From where he stood, Wolfram quietly cursed himself, thinking that he could not even spare Yuuri from such a dangerous situation. _Useless_, he thought.

"We will leave for Caloria at noon tomorrow. I would expect you all to be prepared." Gwendal said firmly. "We have at least eight hours to organize a plan of our own. Wolfram," Gwendal's voice pierced through the blond's reverie. "I'll entrust you to be with the Maou during the whole duration of the negotiation. You will be his last defense in case trouble ensues. Thus, his safety is your priority."

His emerald eyes flashed distinctly as Wolfram nodded his agreement. He was the Maou's fiancé, but he was also a soldier of Shin Makoku. He had an oath to protect the king at the cost of his life, and he will – at the simple reason that the king was none other than Yuuri.

"Very well, then. You're dismissed. You can also take the Maou to his room."

At the last sentence, both Yuuri and Wolfram visibly sputtered. "Why do I have to take him to his room?"

It was only a second, but everyone else seemed to have been baffled at Wolfram's question. "Don't you practically sleep there already? It would only be similar as to going to your own room."

"W-Well that's–"

It was Conrad who grabbed the two of them by the shoulder and pushed them gently out of the room. "_Saa_… Heika needs enough rest for the negotiation, and we still need to organize a plan."

"T-Then why was I dismissed? I'm supposed to be here as well!" Wolfram protested loudly. Beside him, Yuuri was nodding frantically, despite the steady blush that was spreading on his cheeks.

Conrad only smiled innocently at them, before closing the door and leaving the two of them alone in the dark hallway.

"W-Wait… Conrad!" Yuuri called out, his voice echoing in the empty corridor. Wolfram had fallen silent beside him, and the silence was pressing in on him rather densely. Yuuri could feel his heart pick up its pace at the tense atmosphere. He had been trying to avoid Wolfram no matter how unsuccessful that was; being with him alone certainly did not help. Why _was_ the corridor empty anyway?

"What are you still standing there for? I'll leave you behind."

Yuuri jerked, turning to Wolfram only to find the blond already walking away. He blinked confusedly before following after him, albeit hesitantly.

On the other hand, Wolfram was inwardly fuming – it was fortunate that he had his back to Yuuri so that the other could not see his flushed face. He had not yet resolved his own dilemma from earlier, which was still positively gnawing at his consciousness. He had thought that avoiding Yuuri would help, since the young king had obviously been doing the same. Apparently, that was not even an option, especially with their current situation.

They proceeded along the hallways in awkward silence. This was unusual for Yuuri; he had expected Wolfram to start complaining about how the meeting went, particularly regarding his decisions. However, the blond had simply remained silent, and Yuuri even had the funny feeling that Wolfram was keeping the distance between them. Remembering how Wolfram had acted indifferently towards him earlier, he could not help but think that the blond was trying to avoid him. And it bothered Yuuri: Wolfram had never tried to avoid him before. It was quite the contrary, actually. And curiously, Yuuri did not like it, regardless of how he, himself, blatantly avoided the blond that day.

"Wolfram," he called out cautiously. When Wolfram did not answer him, he repeated, "Wolfram?"

"What?" was the blond's curt reply.

Yuuri fumbled with his fingers before saying, "Is there a problem?"

"Of course there is, you wimp. Caloria just got captured by that deranged Belal." Wolfram snapped at him sarcastically.

"That wasn't what I meant," Yuuri chuckled nervously. "What I meant was if… if you're all right? Because you're acting quite _different_ than usual…" He almost bumped into the other when Wolfram abruptly stopped walking. But the blond only sent a mere glare at him and continued his steps. "Wolf?"

Wolfram wanted to hit Yuuri hard. Of all the running away Yuuri did that day, it was only _he_ who was acting _different_? Seriously. _Tell that to yourself, you cheater,_ he thought darkly.

They reached Yuuri's room and Wolfram simply opened the door – kicked it, actually – before he proceeded to leave. He almost threw a fit when Yuuri called him back. "What is it?"

"Where are you going?"

"To my own room, idiot. Where else?"

"Your room? Aren't you going to sleep here?"

Wolfram fell silent. Or rather, he was stunned. It was the first time Yuuri had asked such a question. The demon king had openly disagreed with Wolfram sleeping in his room before, why ask him that now?

"W-What are you s-saying?" he stammered before adding, "Hennachoko!" Then he outright glared at Yuuri – tried to, at least – and stomped away.

"I'm not a wimp!" was Yuuri's automatic retort at Wolfram's retreating figure. Then he was alone, and he could not help but feel… upset? He had wondered why Wolfram did not come to his room earlier that evening, but perhaps the blond simply did not want to. And the thought somewhat _hurt_.

_Mou… why am I like this all of a sudden? _Was he not trying to distance himself from the blonde? Then why did he just ask Wolfram to stay?

With a sigh, he entered his room and closed the door behind him, bathing the space in pure darkness. The moon had hidden itself behind the clouds; what little light entered the room was scattered like mere silver dust. He trudged towards his bed and let himself collapse onto it, his mind wandering back to that obnoxious dream. Did seeing the vision for the second time mean anything? Now that he thought about it, he had never really discussed said vision with Wolfram. Perhaps that was because he had never really considered it before. And the blond had not told him about anything; did Wolfram even have the same vision as him?

As he lay there in his thoughts, he was not aware that the object of his quandary was also in the same predicament.

Wolfram slammed the door shut as soon as he entered his room. He had been utterly nonplussed at how Yuuri had acted. What could that wimp possibly be thinking? Since that morning, it was painfully obvious that the dark-haired lad had been running away from him for a reason he still did not know of. It was not that Yuuri had never avoided him before, but certainly not to the extent he had showed that day. Then why did Yuuri even suggest for him to stay?

And why was he, himself, trying to avoid Yuuri again? Oh, right. It was because of_ that. _The vision he saw through the demon mirror, wherein an unknown woman was clinging preposterously to Yuuri.

Wolfram had tried hard to ignore it, no matter how much it had concerned him. He had obstinately refused to ponder about it, telling himself that it was entirely impossible for him to… to lose Yuuri. Especially not to a woman he completely knew nothing of. If he had the chance, he would burn said woman to a crisp the moment he saw her.

He had not told Yuuri about what he saw, thinking that the wimp might get the wrong idea and deliberately search for the girl so he can get rid of the blond. Wolfram had assumed as much, seeing as Yuuri had never really expressed his agreement to their engagement. That had led him to believe that his worthless fiancé had been running from him because he had already met the woman. And he was pained by the mere idea of it.

He had no idea if Yuuri saw a similar vision, as the other had not mentioned a thing to him. Perhaps his assumptions _were_ true…

Then why was Yuuri affected when he had acted differently towards him? Why did the young king seem upset when he did not stay?

_Screw thinking. Screw it! _Wolfram pounded his fist loudly on the door. He felt perplexed and utterly foolish. No matter what reasons Yuuri had, had he not decided that it was impossible for him to lose Yuuri to anybody? He had to admit that he was even delighted; his heart obviously skipped a beat at Yuuri's last question. And clearly, he had no sensible excuse to decline.

Minutes later, Yuuri literally jumped when the door to his room flew open with a loud crash. He was about to scream when he recognized the figure standing at the doorway.

"Wolfram?" Yuuri blinked. Not seconds ago was he merely thinking about the blond; now, Wolfram was already standing at his door, wearing that infamous nightgown.

"Tch, you're really a wimp," said Wolfram as he entered the room and closed the door. He proceeded towards the bed and crawled under the covers, taking his place beside Yuuri. "You should have been asleep already, hennachoko."

"I'm not a wimp!" Yuuri said. "Besides, I still would have woken up when you opened the door. You weren't exactly quiet." He scowled at the blond. The young king still felt flabbergasted; he truly did not expect Wolfram to come. As such, he could feel his cheeks heating up again, realizing that Wolfram was but mere inches from him. Luckily, the room was dark.

Wolfram only snorted and faced the other direction, smiling to his self. Normally, Yuuri would have already pushed him out of the room the moment he entered. He was quite surprised when the other simply crawled back under the covers and lay beside him. It felt… strange. Regardless of his thoughts earlier, Wolfram thought that maybe Yuuri also… No matter how sudden it was.

Beside him, Yuuri was also secretly smiling. He actually felt at ease with Wolfram beside him; his mind was clear all of a sudden. And as such, he fell into a dreamless sleep in the now comfortable silence, unconcerned by the difficulties ahead of them.

**... To be continued...**

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**A/N:** Done! I just love the last part. ;D My head was being fed with all sorts of ideas, but I can't just go _there_ yet, can I? Hohohoho… XD

Anyway, reviews will be much appreciated, as much as I appreciate the ones I have received last. Thank you! And to those who have put this story on alert, I hope you liked this chapter. I've got at least one more update to finish before the end of this week so I'd better skedaddle. I'll be waiting for your reviews! _Matta kondo desu! _:)


	5. Chapter Four: If only

**A/N:** Hohoho…. I just love the comments I received for the last chapter. Thank you so much! ;D And I just realized that I still haven't gotten over Yuuram, and I probably never will. :)

So here's the next one. Enjoy!

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**CHAPTER FOUR**

Eyelids stirred as they lifted to reveal fathomless dark pools, still clouded with the remnants of sleep. Yuuri blinked once, then twice, until his eyes finally adjusted to the searing morning light. He felt surprisingly light-headed; it had been long since he had such a dreamless sleep. He yawned and motioned to sit up, only to realize that he could not.

Wolfram was snuggled tightly against him, the blond's arm draped around his waist and his head resting on Yuuri's shoulder.

As memories of the recent events flooded back into Yuuri's mind, he could not suppress the blush that suddenly adorned his cheeks. Right. He remembered now. He had been trying to avoid Wolfram the day before, to reasons that were still unclear to him, but ended up asking the blond to sleep in his room nevertheless. Wolfram had barged into his room at dawn, surprising him, and they fell asleep just like that.

But then, he remembered about Caloria being in danger, and that they were scheduled to depart at noon to attend a negotiation Belal had organized. As his mind wandered to the upcoming negotiation, Yuuri's hand unconsciously found its way to Wolfram's golden locks, and his thoughts were brought to a stop.

Wolfram's hair felt very soft to his touch, and Yuuri realized that he had never once ran his fingers through the blond's hair like this. And he liked it. Wolfram smelled of a sweet scent that was most probably perfume, and Yuuri noticed that the blond had exceptionally long lashes.

Normally, Yuuri would have freaked out and pushed Wolfram away from him. But somehow, at that moment, he did not care. He actually liked the feel of Wolfram against him, how the blond's warm breath tickled his skin, how a smile seemed to draw on the blond's lips as Yuuri stroked his hair absently. It felt… _right_. Yuuri wondered why he had not realized this before.

"Wolf," he whispered softly. As much as he wanted to stay in that state, Yuuri knew they would have to move sooner or later. From how the sun looked outside, it was almost noon, and they still had to prepare for their journey. "Wolf, oi…" His other hand went to tap Wolfram's bare shoulder, and Yuuri blushed further at the contact.

Just then, the door was pushed open and Yuuri shrieked in surprise. He immediately jerked himself away from Wolfram and ended, quite unfortunately, falling from the bed.

"Heika?" Conrad stepped into the room only to find Yuuri dangling from the edge of the bed with his head on the floor, which was quite a typical scene already.

"Ah… C-Conrad," the young king greeted meekly from his position. "I told you not to call me that." The second son merely smiled and approached him, helping him up.

On the other hand, Wolfram had been jerked awake quite violently when Yuuri pushed him, and it was with a grunt that he sat on the bed, glaring at Yuuri. "You wimp!" he shouted. "What did you have to do that for?" He scowled at Yuuri, his bright emerald orbs flashing with contempt.

Remembering what he had been doing a mere moment ago, Yuuri had to fight to suppress the blush that threatened to show on his face again. "I'm not a wimp!" was all he gave as a reply as Conrad pulled him to his feet. What could he have been thinking anyway, holding Wolfram like that? Well, it was not like anyone saw him, and he was pretty sure that the blond was still asleep at that time. Yuuri sighed inwardly. He was acting really weird, even to himself.

Beside him, the second son was smiling enigmatically, thoroughly amused at the young king's behavior.

An hour later, they had all gathered at the castle's front yard. Yuuri approached his dark steed and gave Ao a pat. "Let's do our best, Ao," he said, to which the horse nuzzled the side of his face in affirmation. A second later, Wolfram appeared next to him.

"It's a wonder how even horses seem to be attracted to you," the blond scoffed, eyeing the steed invidiously.

"You're making it sound like that's a bad thing," Yuuri pouted at him. Then he chuckled when Ao snorted and licked at his face, and he gave the horse another pat, smiling amiably.

At that, Wolfram could not help but feel jealous. How come a horse could make Yuuri smile like that while he could not? Wait. Did he just compare himself with a horse? "Oh, this is getting stupid_,"_ he grumbled to himself and stormed off, with Yuuri blinking confusedly at his retreating back.

They waited as Gwendal gave orders to his soldiers, the men in green hurrying around under his commands. Yuuri could not help but think that Gwendal seemed more tense than usual, but then, all of them were.

"Here, Heika." A voice came from behind him and Yuuri turned to face Gisella. She was holding a wig and a pair of brown contacts. "Sir Weller asked me to give you these." Beside her, Greta appeared sullen.

"Oh yeah," Yuuri replied, taking the wig from her. "I almost forgot about these." Gisella helped him put the contacts on and he blinked several times afterwards. Now he had brown hair and eyes, instead of black. Then he knelt in front of Greta and held her small hands. "You be a good girl while we're gone, all right, Greta?" he said in the most gentle tone.

The girl nodded almost reluctantly, tears starting to form in her bright brown eyes. "Can't I really come, Yuuri?" she sobbed.

Yuuri pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, Greta. But I promise that we'll come home safe. Here." He intertwined the girl's little finger with his. "Promise," he said, grinning widely at his daughter. This seemed to convince Greta, and the girl smiled widely back at him and pulled him in for another hug. From Yuuri's waist, Morgif was making strange strangled noises again, apparently because women were near. "Be quiet, Morgif," Yuuri scolded.

Greta giggled merrily while Gisella laughed softly. "Please take care, Heika," the young lady said.

"Aren't you coming, Gisella-san?"

"I'm afraid not, Heika. Sir von Voltaire had assigned me to assist my father in guarding the castle. And, well," she smiled pensively, "to appease him as well."

Yuuri understood perfectly what she meant. Sure enough, a loud wail was heard amongst the clamor and the next second, Yuuri felt himself being tackled to the ground. "G-Gunter!"

To say that the king's advisor was crying would be an understatement; he was outright _bawling_. "H-Heika," Gunter wailed. "If only – if only I am able to accompany you," he cried, squeezing Yuuri against him and once again, unconsciously strangling the young king. Yuuri made choking noises which eventually went unheard by the older man. Luckily, Gisella was able to pull Gunter away.

"Now, now, father," she soothed. "I'm sure we won't have to worry too much about His Majesty. Sir Weller is with him, after all." She gave a knowing smile at Yuuri, who chuckled in turn and nodded.

"But, but," Gunter sobbed, still obviously unconvinced.

"It'll be all right, Gunter," said Yuuri. "We'll stop whatever Belal is planning and come home right away. Besides," he smiled almost shyly as a faint shade of red dusted his cheeks. "Wolfram's going to protect me."

"Of course, I will."

Yuuri jerked in surprise and turned around swiftly to see Wolfram on his white horse, the blond staring down at him with those luminous green orbs and… was that a blush on his cheeks?

"W-Wolf?" Yuuri stuttered, his heart picking up its pace under the blond's stare. "D-Did you—?" But the blonde simply scoffed before Yuuri could finish his question and led his horse away. As Gunter continued to wail behind him, Yuuri mentally kicked himself. He was _really_ getting weird.

Yuuri was definitely being weird, Wolfram thought to himself. First, his pathetic excuse for a fiancé had constantly tried to avoid him until Wolfram finally decided to leave him alone. But then for some bizarre reason and the first time ever, Yuuri suddenly asked him to sleep in his room. And now, the pathetic wimp just went along and said some words that Wolfram never expected to hear from him with such a… _pleased_ expression on his face. At first, Wolfram thought he had heard wrong, that maybe it was not his name that Yuuri spoke but Conrad's or of anyone else. But then, he was not deaf, and he heard Yuuri quite perfectly.

"Stupid wimp," Wolfram grumbled, even as an apparent blush stained his cheeks and a soft smile drew on his lips, a warm feeling coursing through his being at the possible implication behind Yuuri's words. After all, it was not a crime to _hope_.

A few moments later, all preparations were completed and they set off. By noon, they had reached the port from where they would board the ship for Caloria.

"Do your job, Gunter," said a very exasperated Gwendal to the still tearful Gunter. The advisor had gravely insisted to come with them even just to the pier, so he could see his beloved king off.

"You should do the same, Gwendal," said the person beside Gunter. It was Anissina, who had surprisingly appeared out of nowhere and accompanied them on their short trip to the port. Gwendal glared at her. He had quite reluctantly assigned her to guard the kingdom with Gunter, and until now, he was still contemplating whether it had been the right decision or not.

Heaving another frustrated sigh, he ordered his men to board the ship and strode off to do the same.

"Till we come home then, Ao," Yuuri said as he gave a last pat to his horse, and then stood aside to watch as a soldier led the steed away. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Conrad, telling him it was time to go. Yuuri nodded and turned to another person beside him. "Let's go, Wolfram," he told the blond who had fallen silent the moment they arrived at the pier. "Wolf?"

"I know," the blond snapped back at him. "You don't need to tell me twice." He scowled and walked towards the ship, albeit hesitantly. Conrad chuckled quietly as Yuuri pouted at the blond's attitude. Apparently, Wolfram felt anxious of boarding yet another ship, all due to his incurable seasickness. They soon followed after the blond and boarded the ship themselves.

The ship they boarded was but an ordinary passenger ship, to Yuuri's insistence. Gwendal had originally intended to use the special war ship of Shin Makoku, but Yuuri had reasoned that it would appear intimidating to the other party and might cause a misunderstanding. And so, after a few arguments, Gwendal had yielded to the Maou's request and hired an ordinary ship instead, exclusive for their use.

There was the loud sound of a whistle blowing and then the plank used for boarding the ship was detached, and Yuuri finally felt the ship move.

"Heika!" Gunter cried, running after the ship. "Be safe, Heika! Conrad, Wolfram, protect him with your lives!"

Yuuri waved back at him while laughing embarrassedly. "Take care, Gunter! Anissina-san!" Beside him, Wolfram was muttering something along the lines of "You don't need to tell me that," to which Yuuri smiled inwardly. He closed his eyes and felt the warm sea breeze against his face, hoping that everything will turn out all right.

* * *

"The Maou has departed from their land, Your Majesty," a soldier reported as he kept his head low.

Belal held the glass of red wine to his face, inhaled courteously, and took a sip. He let out a sound of pleasure at the rich taste, before granting the soldier his attention. "Very well. Proceed with the plan." The soldier gave a curt bow and left the room.

"What exactly are you planning?" A voice full of contempt rose from the seat to his right.

The human king took another sip from his glass before he answered, "I can't divulge you on that now, can I?" He sneered at the only other person seated on the dining table with him. "You are by no means entitled to such a privilege. You are, after all, a traitor. And traitors are never trusted a second time, Flurin Gilbit."

"You evil—" Flurin glared at him and abruptly stood up, only to have the soldiers point their spears menacingly at her.

"Please. You wouldn't want the Maou arriving here, just to learn that Caloria's leader is already dead, would you? I suggest you refrain from further insulting my excellence," Belal warned, "I wouldn't want to hurt such a fine lady." Then he lifted his glass to Flurin, seemingly asking for a toast.

Flurin wanted to wipe that devious smile off Belal's wretched face, but she knew that there was nothing she could do. She glanced at the sharp spears pointed at her, and slowly resigned back to her seat. "Whatever it is you are planning, the Maou will stop you," she stated indignantly.

The man simply stared at her, and to Flurin's surprise, burst out laughing. It was not a gleeful laugh, no. It was a laugh that sent cold shivers down her spine and made her grip the front of her skirt tightly.

"I would love to see him try," Belal muttered darkly after his fit. "You see, wretched woman, there are countless ways on how to win a war. And the more subtle the way, the more fatal it is. That pitiful demon king has a weakness that not even he, himself, is aware of. And that weakness will not only be his end, but also of the entire demon race."

At that, the human king laughed again, and all Flurin could do was to believe in Yuuri, to believe that he will be able to put a stop to this atrocity.

* * *

Yuuri closed the door behind him with a sigh. No matter what they did, Wolfram's seasickness was just so chronic that the blond had not even moved from the bed since he had collapsed on it a few hours ago. He was beginning to get worried. Gwendal had told him that they would reach Caloria only by dawn, given the speed of the ship, and it was still early evening.

"Yuuri."

Yuuri turned to see Conrad walking towards him. "Conrad."

"Still?" the second son asked, glancing at the door, and Yuuri sighed again. He shook his head.

"He's still throwing up. He won't even eat anything. I can't even mention the word 'food'!" Yuuri whined comically, to which Conrad gave a small laugh.

He ruffled Yuuri's hair gently and said, "Why don't you take a break as well? You're starting to look pale yourself." He then led the young lad to the ship's deck, where Yuuri seemed to calm down in the cool evening wind. They walked towards the edge of the ship and Yuuri leaned on the wooden banister, looking towards the dark horizon. Still, the worry he felt did not disappear, and Yuuri wondered whether he should just return to their room and take care of Wolfram.

Conrad did not fail to notice this, of course, and he felt highly amused. This was not the first time that Yuuri behaved as such, for Conrad had been able to witness just how worried the young king can be towards the blond. Even though Yuuri was in constant denial of their relationship, the people around him could notice what he really felt, especially Conrad. Those times when he searched for the blonde when Wolfram was not around, or when he always seemed to ask Wolfram to come with him (though it was unnecessary), were proof enough. After all, actions revealed more than what words could ever express. The only problem was that Yuuri, himself, was unaware of his own emotions, or perhaps the boy simply could not understand.

Sometimes, a person needed a soft tap so he would know to look over his shoulder.

After a few moments of silence, Conrad spoke. "I can't help but notice that you're mightily worried of Wolfram, Yuuri."

At that, Yuuri flinched and Conrad noticed a steady blush appear on the lad's cheeks. "Is that strange?" the boy asked.

"Of course not," Conrad replied. A gentle smile grazed his features as he stared at Yuuri. "But may I ask why?" he asked, even though he already knew the likely answer.

Yuuri simply shrugged and said, "I don't know. I'm just doing what I think is right. I can't just let him be when he's in that state, can I?" He knew Wolfram had always been seasick, but at that moment, Yuuri could not help but worry. It was his task as king to take care of his people, and Wolfram was not an exception. At least, that was the reason he had given his actions. But Conrad made him think otherwise.

"Is it really about doing what is right? Or about what you really want to do?"

Yuuri froze at the question. About what he wanted? What did he want anyway? Confused, he turned to Conrad, who once again had that enigmatic smile on his face.

"Because, Yuuri," Conrad started, leaning on the balustrade the same way as Yuuri did, "most of your actions have always proved to be right. But have you ever wondered if you simply wanted to act in a way, regardless of whether it's the correct thing to do or not?" When the young king still appeared not to understand, Conrad continued. "Not every principle needs to be followed, Yuuri. Sometimes, you need to bend the rules a bit. What you believed at one time, may not necessarily be true at another."

After a while, realization seemed to dawn slowly on Yuuri, and his eyes widened evidently. "Is this… is this still about Wolfram?"

"I think it's more about you, Yuuri."

Yuuri felt that this discussion felt somehow familiar, before he remembered about the conversation he had with Conrad the morning before. He contemplated deeply on his words before he spoke again. "You… know about the kiss, don't you?"

The smile never left Conrad's face as he nodded. "Actually, everyone does."

Yuuri outright screamed at his reply. "WHAT? Everyone!" His outburst caught the attention of the other people on deck, and he brought a hand quickly over his mouth in embarrassment. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" he hissed at Conrad, flailing his hands like a child.

"Because we thought you wouldn't want to talk about it, considering how you never took your engagement with Wolfram seriously." That sounded a bit harsh, Conrad knew. But it was the truth, and it was meant to hurt.

And hurt, it did. The words stung at Yuuri with such intensity, that he even took a step back.

Was that how people understood him? That he did not value of his relationship with Wolfram? His retorts had been nothing but casual statements to him, having been used to saying them every time the blond would mention their engagement. But that was that. He never thought that… Wait. What about Wolfram? Did the blond think of the same thing?

A thought suddenly came to Yuuri. Of all the running away he did from Wolfram the day before, it was obvious now why Wolfram had acted indifferent towards him. He had been a complete idiot.

"It's not like that," Yuuri said after a while. "I was just… confused. You know where I grew up, Conrad. It's just strange, being engaged to another guy. But I never meant that Wolfram wasn't important to me, because he is!" Yuuri froze. What did he just say? Well, of course, Wolfram was important to him; every one of them was. But somehow, that did not seem to be the point. "After the incident," he continued, "I always dreamt about him, and I always thought about him." Was he even making sense anymore? "And no matter what I do, I just can't stop; because I like it."

And there he had it. How come had he not realized it sooner?

Before he knew it, he was blushing and stuttering and doing whatever a person did when he was embarrassed. All the while, Conrad stared at him with such a knowing look that Yuuri could not help but think that the other had planned this conversation all along.

"W-What I meant was— I-I was just— what I said was— Conrad!" the boy wailed as he flailed around, his head resembling that of a steaming kettle pot. Then he abruptly stopped and huddled against a corner, burying his face in his knees. Conrad laughed at this, kneeling before him and patting the top of his head affectionately.

"You would have figured it out yourself, Heika. I only thought you needed the push," Conrad said.

"I told you not to call me that," Yuuri pouted at him, his face still evidently flushed. "And even so, I—"

"You cheater!" yelled a voice from the direction of the door leading to the lower decks. Both Yuuri and Conrad, along with the rest of the people on the deck, turned to see Wolfram standing at the doorway, sickeningly pale and panting heavily. Nevertheless, his emerald eyes burned fiercely with anger and jealousy, and he stomped his way heavily towards the other two.

"W-Wolf—"

"I let you leave for a moment and you go flirting with my brother!" The blond glowered at them and grabbed Yuuri by the collar, pulling the young king to his feet rather violently.

"W-Wait! That's not true—" Yuuri whimpered as Wolfram strangled him, albeit unintentionally. Or maybe it _was_ intentional.

"Shut up! You good-for-nothing philanderer! And here I thought you were actually starting to li—" Wolfram froze, and the bluish tint on his face turned red. Yuuri did not miss that unfinished word though, but before he could even say anything, Wolfram had pushed him away vehemently.

"What were you—?"

"Nothing," Wolfram snapped. "I said nothing, you big wi—" The blond was not able to finish his remark though when he felt a strong spell of dizziness overcome him. Luckily, Conrad was able to support him when his knees gave way.

"Wolf," Yuuri gasped. "Mou… you should have just stayed in the room." He lifted the blond's arm over his own shoulders and held Wolfram by the waist.

"And let you flirt with whomever you want? Not a chance, hennachoko," Wolfram grumbled despite his weak state.

"Not a wimp," was Yuuri's automatic retort as he helped Wolfram back to their room. _Not that it matters anymore,_ he thought. He glanced back at Conrad who just smiled at him, mouthing the words: _Do what you want_. And he smiled back.

A minute later, he was tucking Wolfram to bed, the blond still grumbling incessantly about how a cheater his pathetic fiancé was. Yuuri merely nodded, saying that Wolfram was probably right. Wolfram frowned at him, and then asked why Yuuri was agreeing with him instead of arguing as he was supposed to. And Yuuri answered, "Because it feels right. And because I want to."

True, it felt right. Like when he stroked Wolfram's hair that morning, or when he stated that the blond was going to protect him, it all felt right to Yuuri. And at that last thought, he gave Wolfram a gentle kiss on the forehead, all to the blond's astonishment. A steady feeling of warmth was spreading through Yuuri's chest and he smiled genuinely at Wolfram, ignoring the other's incoherent mumbles as he ran his fingers through golden locks for the second time that day.

If only Yuuri had realized it sooner, such a moment would have been able to last. But as tomorrow came, they finally learned that the future was not necessarily that far.

**... To be continued...**

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**A/N:** Please, please, please review! DX I need to know if this chapter is as bad as I thought it was or not. My sister says there's nothing wrong with it but I just can't stop worrying. T-T

So, this chapter was mostly about Yuuri. If it was a bit too sudden, my excuse would be that this _is_ a spin-off from the series and Yuuri basically had it coming. ;D I'm being mean, yes. That just proves how much I love this pair. Did that even make sense? XD And I also need to set the mood for the following chapters. So don't you dare forget to review!

Sorry if Yuu-chan was a bit OOC. I tried! I really did! :(

06/06/10: Edited with regards to **gkeeper91**'s review. Thank you so much for pointing out my mistakes! :)


	6. Chapter Five: Belal's Schemes

**A/N:** First, I am on my _knees _thanking everyone who have read and reviewed this story. You know yourselves. You have made me incredibly happy that I even regretted putting this under angst, but since this is still under that particular genre, (for I have absolutely no plan of changing that) I have no choice but to put you and our beloved pair through agony. XD Please don't kill me.

Enjoy everyone!

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**CHAPTER FIVE**

"Is that so?"

The ship had docked at Caloria's port the same moment that the sun rose from the east. A significant number of human soldiers had been stationed at the docks to _welcome_ the newcomers, if having countless spears pointed at you even counted as an appropriate greeting.

Gwendal sighed rather heavily and handed the written report back to Yozak. He had assigned the versatile man on espionage of the town and, possibly, of Belal's movements, as he had done so during the scenario of the sacred boxes. But it appears that the human king had taken elaborate defensive measures to guard himself and his plans this time around, much to Gwendal's dismay. At the very least, Yozak was able to confirm the safety of Caloria's leader, which proved to be the only good news in the man's report.

"I'm afraid so, your Excellency. Looks like Belal's finally using that undersized brain of his, even though I hate to admit it," Yozak stated in that usual drawl of his. "Are you sure you'll be all right?" he asked worriedly as the eldest son brought a hand to his temple.

"Yes," Gwendal replied, "I'll be fine." He clenched his fists at the persistent pain that coursed through his being. Yozak was right; the human king was indeed proving his perspicacity at the moment. Nevertheless, it was not as if their side would simply relent under Belal's defenses. It was with this thought that Gwendal glanced back at the ship, saying, "We'll be just fine."

Yozak followed his gaze and smiled. At the edge of the ship stood Yuuri, marveling in the early morning breeze as if unburdened by the difficulties they were certain to face. But of course, how could he have forgotten? They had that ever bright sun that had thwarted Belal's schemes before, and there was no doubt that Yuuri would be able to even now.

Said Yuuri let out a sound of awe at the scenery in front of him. "It's been so long since the last time I've been here!" He would have appreciated the moment more if not for the intimidating human soldiers who had their weapons pointed against him and his company. At that, Yuuri frowned. "I don't feel welcomed, though."

"I don't think that is the case, Yuuri," Conrad said beside him.

The young king felt more perturbed at Conrad's statement, so instead he turned his attention to the scowling blond who stood by the door leading to the lower decks. "Hurry up, Wolfram. We don't have all day."

"Shut up," Wolfram snapped at him. "Don't talk to me."

Yuuri blinked. "Why?"

Wolfram's scowl appeared more like a pout when he said, "Because I don't know you."

Yuuri gaped back at him, obviously confused with what he was saying. Blinking a few more times, he asked again, "Why?"

Crossing his arms across his chest, Wolfram glared at him. "Because you're _not_ Yuuri," he answered indignantly, albeit with a hint of embarrassment in his voice. The blond seemed to have noticed this and glared more at the dark-haired teen, a soft shade of pink dusting his cheeks. "Whoever you are, you're not Yuuri. So I don't know you, meaning that you have no right to talk to me."

Yes, Wolfram thought, the young lad in front of him was definitely not Yuuri. _His_ Yuuri would not dare kiss him in any way, much less hold his hand and watch him sleep. At least, that was what he had convinced himself of Yuuri's actions. Although he also wanted to believe that it was indeed the same Yuuri, the one who had blatantly avoided him but had miraculously turned a new leaf over and was now acting as how Wolfram had always wanted him to. But the change was a bit more overwhelming for the blond, and as much as he felt overjoyed about it, it was also literally driving him crazy.

Yuuri, on the other hand, was positively baffled at Wolfram's statements as evidenced by the expression on his face. "What do you mean, Wolfram?" He followed after the blond and they descended the wooden board to the docks, Conrad following behind them.

"I meant exactly what I—" He was not able to finish his sentence as a sharp pain coursed through his whole body the moment he set foot on the pavement. Wolfram let out a cry at the sudden pain, and he would have collapsed to the ground if not for Yuuri.

"Wolf!" was Yuuri's alarmed outburst as he caught the blond in his arms. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asked in panic.

"Yozak," Conrad called out to the bright-haired man, a demanding expression on his face, and Yozak nodded gravely in return.

The man turned to Yuuri. "This is houseki, Heika," was his answer.

"Houseki?"

"The mineral that negates the essence of being a mazoku, similar to that time when we were captured together," Gwendal explained for him and Yuuri understood. He also noticed that the older man was slightly trembling, and it was apparent that Gwendal was also in as much pain as Wolfram was.

"But," the young king looked around him warily, "I don't see any houseki crystals around."

"That is exactly our problem," said Yozak, and the playful smile that Yuuri often saw on his face was nowhere to be found. "According to what I've learned, Belal had somehow found a way to turn the crystals into refined dust, and had scattered that dust all over Caloria. The effect is supposedly the same as to when a mazoku is imprisoned in a cell with houseki crystals embedded in its walls, but since this is dust," Yozak gave Wolfram a worried glance, "it can be inhaled by anyone, which makes it more dangerous."

Needless to say, Yuuri was horrified. His hold on Wolfram tightened as he pulled the blond closer to him. "Then, Wolf is—"

"The source of this dust is at the Mansion," Yozak continued to explain. "The effects are the strongest near the source. We're at the docks now so it shouldn't be as aggravating, but since Sir von Bielefeld has the highest amount of maryoku at present…" Yozak did not finish his sentence, but Yuuri understood. Even if he had greater amounts of maryoku than Wolfram, he, along with Yozak and Conrad, was still half human. Normally, he would not have been affected by houseki, but because the mineral had been reduced to such a form, he was now vulnerable to it as evidenced by the faint sensation of nausea he was currently feeling. But Yuuri was certain that it was nothing compared to what Wolfram was experiencing.

"Wolf," he muttered, and he felt his chest ache at the blond's present state. Wolfram's breathing was shallow and ragged, and he trembled violently against Yuuri. A pale sheen of cold sweat covered his face, and he bit his lower lip fiercely in an effort to not cry out in pain. And Yuuri did not like it. He definitely did not like it.

The young king turned back to Yozak and asked, "Then why was he all right when we were still on board the ship?"

"It appears that Belal had also hired Horyouku users to form a barrier around the town to encase the houseki particles, and to strengthen its effect as well," the man explained, and Yuuri now noticed two cloaked individuals at either end of the docks, each of them holding a scepter with a luminous scarlet crystal. That explained why Wolfram reacted only when they reached the pavement; there was now an invisible barrier that separated Caloria from the rest of the world.

Yuuri inwardly cursed. He knew Belal was evil and that this whole escapade would be nothing but danger to them, but he had never expected the man to be this astute. This was definitely different than the last time they had confronted the human king. Yuuri now came to the conclusion that he _loathed_ Belal with a passion, especially since Wolfram was experiencing such pain because of his doing.

"Wolf," he whispered in the blond's ear and tightened his arms around the blond. The other three noticed this simple gesture and Gwendal glanced questioningly at Conrad, who only gave a knowing smile in reply. "Maybe you should just stay in the ship," Yuuri suggested, but Wolfram merely shook his head with effort. "But you certainly can't come with us in your state," he almost whined, but the blond still refused. "But Wolf—"

"I said _no_, Yuuri!" Wolfram hissed under his breath.

"Perhaps it would indeed be better if you just stayed," Gwendal said, his unsympathetic demeanor belying the worry he felt for his brother, along with the strange sense of gladness at the unusual concern the demon king was showing to his fiancé. "We will have you guard the ship instead of Huber, and—"

"_No!_" Wolfram hissed again and his eyes burned with certainty. "With all due respect, Brother, I will _not_ be left behind." He turned to Yuuri so that their faces were but a mere inch apart. "I am _not_ letting you out of my sight, you wimp," he said with an air of finality as his emerald gaze bore deep into Yuuri's. He_ loved_ how Yuuri held him at the moment – no matter how irrational the thought was at the present – and it only proved to him how much he wanted to protect _his_ pathetic king. "If you have already forgotten, I was tasked to stay with you at _every possible moment_, and I will do just that." The blond struggled to straighten himself up so that Yuuri was holding his arms instead. He stared at Gwendal, silently pleading to let him do as he wanted.

At that moment a coach came to a stop in front of them, and Gwendal had no choice but to agree. With a sigh, he gestured for the two lads to climb onto the carriage, much to Wolfram's gladness.

Yuuri, however, was still reluctant to let the blond accompany them in his state. "But Gwendal—"

"Just shut up, hennachoko," Wolfram snapped at him, lightly hitting the top of his head. "I'm not going anywhere other than with you, so you might as well give up." Yuuri retorted with his usual 'I'm not a wimp' remark, and Wolfram smiled when the lad still insisted for him to stay, pointing out that his situation may only worsen if he still chose to accompany them. True, Wolfram currently felt as if countless daggers were piercing through his body at the consistent pain that wracked through his entirety, and it was all he could do not to yield under the pressure. But his resolve proved to be greater than whatever pain he might experience; he certainly would not let Yuuri meet that god-forsaken excuse for a man without him around. It was with a smirk that he added, "Besides, for all I know that Belal might just have had a few more screws loose and came up with the most idiotic scheme, like forcing you to marry his own daughter or something, just so he could succeed in his evil plans."

At that statement from Wolfram, Yozak visibly flinched, which did not go unnoticed by either Gwendal or Conrad. The bright-haired man only made a dismissive gesture though, and climbed up beside the coach's driver. The two lads followed suit, climbing into the coach and sitting adjacent to each other, and Conrad took the seat across from them. Gwendal gave his last orders to his men and to Huber, whom he had assigned to guard the ship in their absence, before climbing into the coach himself.

As the eldest son closed the coach's door behind him, Yuuri sent a last glance back at the ship, a vague sensation of dread tugging at his consciousness.

* * *

Belal tapped his jewel-clad fingers in an indistinct rhythm against the desk's wooden surface. According to the soldier's report, the Maou had arrived at Caloria just as planned and was presently on his way towards the mansion, along with three of his subordinates with one being his domineering fiancé. As expected, the pureblood mazoku had been affected gravely by the dust. It seemed, however, to have less effect on the obnoxious king than Belal had expected; still, he did not find it as a surprise. Compared to his predecessors, the present Maou proved to be more competent albeit unsophisticated, and his tenacity was a trait that even Belal could not deny of him. Furthermore, he was half-human.

This was the exact reason why he wanted to destroy what meaningless hopes the insufferable demon king had.

"Our shipments will reach the demon country before noon, your Majesty, as was planned," his adviser stated from the opposite side of the desk. "They have passed the marine defenses effortlessly, and from how things are going, they would reach the demon kingdom without any difficulty."

"Very well," Belal replied. "Commence with the next step of our plan the instant that our shipments arrive at that wretched land. Failure is _death_," the human king threatened, his eyes glinting with pure malevolence. The adviser nodded and gave a curt bow before leaving the room.

During the moments he had pondered about his schemes, Belal had reproved himself for considering such a _passive_ method, and yet, he conceded to his ideas. True, he preferred to amass an enormous amount of force and stage a fierce war against the demon race, with the intent of prevailing through any means possible. But as he have mentioned to the Gilbit traitor, there were countless ways to win. The more discreet it was, the more lethal. And indeed, his current plans proved to not only be inconspicuous, but to a certain point, also excruciatingly _personal_. For the Maou, that is.

With a last tap, Belal stood from his seat. He was to meet with the Maou at the mansion's war room for this _negotiation_ that he, himself, had planned. He strode towards a different door that led to an adjacent room, his royal cape flowing behind him. With a menacing sneer he stepped into the other room and gestured to its sole occupant, a perverse kind of excitement evident in his features.

Oh. How he would love to see the look on the Maou's face after this charade was over.

* * *

"I told you that you should've just stayed back at the ship."

"And I told you… I won't," Wolfram grunted hoarsely between subsequent pants, "so just… shut up." The blond clutched tightly at his chest and Yuuri felt as if his own chest was being torn apart.

It was painfully apparent that allowing Wolfram to come with them was a mistake; even Gwendal thought so. The blond was in such pain that he could barely remain conscious. The effect of the houseki dust was indeed greater near its source, and as they approached the mansion, the situation only became worse. Gwendal was also barely containing his composure, and even Yuuri felt unusually light-headed. The young king could see that Conrad and Yozak experienced the same, despite their calm demeanor, but the person under the worst predicament was definitely Wolfram.

The blond was trembling more violently than before, and his breath came out in short, rapid pants. He had his head on Yuuri's shoulder, and his hand that was not gripping his chest was within Yuuri's firm grasp. His eyes were a hazy shade of green, and cold beads of sweat trickled down the side of his face as he leaned onto Yuuri's warmth. The blond laughed inwardly at the irony of their situation. He had lost count of just how many times he had wished for Yuuri to hold him like this; his wish was granted, yes, but under such incongruous circumstances. Perhaps, after this whole escapade, he could truly enjoy his time with Yuuri, especially now that his pathetic fiancé had somehow accepted him and their engagement, no matter how sudden it was.

Perhaps.

"We're almost there, Heika," Yozak's voice came from the front of the carriage, and Wolfram's lips formed into a sad smile. Time _does_ fly when you are having fun, no matter how irrelevant the saying was to his present condition. He brought his other hand from his chest and placed it atop Yuuri's, squeezing gently, and the young king gave him a confused look in turn. Wolfram could not explain it, but ever since they had departed for Caloria, a persistent feeling of dread kept nagging at his consciousness, as if something utterly wrong was going to happen. Yuuri's actions had somehow alleviated his worries, but now that they had almost reached their destination, his anxieties had once again intensified. And he felt somewhat helpless.

On the other hand, Yuuri, himself, was feeling terribly anxious about this entire ordeal. He had only come to realize how grave a disadvantage they had since they were in the enemy's territory. Add to that the fact that Belal was being exceptionally cunning at present. As the carriage came to a halt in front of the mansion's gates, he turned an almost pleading expression at Conrad, who still appeared exceedingly calm during their short trip. The second son smiled back at him, telling him that it will be all right, and Yuuri nodded meekly in turn. He took a deep breath as the carriage door swung open, and they all climbed down from the coach.

The first thought that crossed Yuuri's mind when he entered through the gates was that the place had not changed significantly since his last stay, save for the human soldiers patrolling around the mansion's premises. The five of them were also flanked by soldiers on each side, and the atmosphere was unmistakably tense as they were ushered towards the rendezvous point. The moment they stepped inside the mansion's foyer, Yuuri felt a distinct dizzy spell hit him and he swayed on the spot, bringing a hand over his eyes. But he immediately forgot about his self when Wolfram threatened to collapse again, and he held the blond's shoulders firmly to prevent him from doing so.

"You really have to go back, Wolf," Yuuri said in alarm. "You won't be able to handle this much longer—" He gasped as Wolfram slapped his hands away and glared back at him through pain-clouded eyes.

"Who… do you think… you're talking to?" Wolfram hissed, barely able to keep his normal tone of voice. With a shudder, he straightened himself up and glared at the human soldiers surrounding them. "I'm not… like you, wimp." He then proceeded forward with the soldiers, keeping up the pretense that he was unaffected, even though Yuuri knew otherwise. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to face Conrad, who shook his head at him and ushered him forward. The young king glanced back to see Yozak pulling a "thumbs up" at him and Gwendal having an equally pained expression on his face. And Yuuri understood.

He was the one who agreed to this whole negotiation, thus, he was responsible for bringing his friends into this dangerous situation. Therefore, he had no right to appear weak, especially in front of Belal.

He caught up to Wolfram and gave the blond a reassuring smile, and Wolfram smirked back at him. The soldiers led them through a set of hallways, and soon they reached the mansion's war room, where a woman stood in front of its doors.

Yuuri immediately recognized said woman. "Flurin-san!"

Flurin Gilbit turned at the sound of his voice and relief graced her features. She approached Yuuri and held the lad's hands with her own, much to Wolfram's alarm. "I'm so relieved to see you, Yuuri-heika," she muttered as tears welled in her eyes. "And forgive me for bringing you into this mess."

Yuuri shook his head at her. "You've done nothing wrong, Flurin-san," he said, smiling gently at the woman. He chuckled nervously when he felt Wolfram's usual animosity before saying, "This is all Belal's doing, and I promise you that we'll stop him. Caloria will be free again." Flurin smiled gratefully at him and released his hands when a soldier approached her.

"I believe in you, Yuuri," Flurin stated as the soldier held her by the arm and pulled her away from Yuuri. "But please," she added, "be careful. Belal is intent on defeating you, and he will do anything." At that, she pulled her arm away from the soldier's grasp and stood to the side. Yuuri gave her a last glance as they entered the war room, before the doors closed firmly behind them.

A harsh laugh brought all of their attentions to the front of the room. Seated on a grand chair, Belal leered at his guests, his eyes flashing ominously at the demon king.

"Maou-heika," Belal said in a voice that made Yuuri feel both disgusted and apprehensive, "how _considerate_ of you to grant my request." He sneered and gestured for the young king to take his seat on the armchair situated at the center of the room, to which Yuuri reluctantly followed. The other four stood beside him, and an eerie silence reigned in the room.

When the silence became unbearable, Yuuri spoke. "What do you want, Belal?" His frown deepened as the human king broke into a fit of laughter.

"Please… please," Belal muttered in between his laughs. "Why such a hostile attitude? This is supposedly a _simple _negotiation," he said in a tone that belied none of his sarcasm, and Yuuri glared at him.

"I don't think this is as simple as you claim, Belal. If it is, you wouldn't go to such measures to put us in such disadvantage," the young king retorted.

Belal merely waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Is it a crime now to be prepared?" he asked mockingly. He turned his gaze to Wolfram who was barely remaining conscious under the effect of the houseki, and he sneered. "Though perhaps I might have overdone it," he added casually and Wolfram glowered vehemently at him. The blond motioned to unsheathe his sword, to which the soldiers in the room unsheathed their own weapons threateningly, but Yuuri stopped him.

"We came here to free Caloria, so just tell us what you want and let them go!"

The human king regarded him for a moment and Yuuri could feel a chilling sensation under his gaze. If worse comes to worst, he could still summon his maryoku. Under the circumstances though, particularly the effects of the houseki dust, there was no guarantee that he would succeed. He also knew that Belal would harm the citizens if he were to do anything rash, and he could not let that. Yuuri clenched his fists in frustration; it had never occurred to him that they would be this helpless.

"But of course, that's what you came for, isn't it?" Belal said after a terse moment of silence. He leaned his elbows on the chair's armrests and intertwined his hands in front of his face, staring at Yuuri with that daunting sneer. "I would like to make a treaty with you, Maou-heika."

Yuuri stared questioningly back at him. "A treaty?" He glanced at Gwendal, who also appeared confused at Belal's request.

"Yes, a peace treaty between our kingdoms. No. Between humans and demons," Belal stated, spreading his arms wide.

But Yuuri was not convinced. "I don't believe you," he replied bluntly. Beside him, Wolfram was also grumbling his disbelief.

"Oh, but I don't expect you to," the human king responded and Yuuri inwardly winced at his nonchalance. "I simply thought that you would accept my terms regardless of whether you believed me or not. After all," he spread his palm towards the young king, "this is what you have been wishing for." When Yuuri kept silent, Belal continued. "What do you prefer, Maou-heika? Peace earned from a war of senseless bloodshed, or peace brought about by a diplomatic truce?" He gestured dramatically with each word, and smirked when the young king appeared to be considering his statement. Truly, the young king was as gullible as he had predicted, and it was not long before the wretched fool would fall into his trap.

On the other hand, Yuuri was starting to contemplate Belal's proposition. It was a fact that he yearned for peace between the two races; that was his oath when he accepted his fate as the twenty-seventh Maou. And of course, he would want to achieve that goal in a similarly peaceful method, even if it was to make a treaty with the human king. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Wolfram shaking his head at him, the blond silently telling him not to believe in Belal's words. Yuuri smiled and placed his own hand over the blond's. He knew he could never trust what Belal was saying, and he could feel that the human king had direr plans beneath this so-called treaty, but what other choice did he have? He had agreed to Belal's request on the reason that he would be able to have a sensible discussion with the human king and convince him to stop without any violence, and he would do just that. Besides, he did not want to put his friends in any more danger, especially Wolfram.

He gave Wolfram's hand a gentle squeeze before turning back to Belal, only to find the man leering suspiciously at the two of them. He cleared his throat and said, "What are your terms?"

_Perfect. Just perfect,_ Belal thought menacingly as he watched the silent exchange between the two young lads. When he had first learned of the Maou's engagement, he was told that the demon king merely regarded it as a blunder; hence, Belal barely considered it when he made his plans. In fact, he even assumed that the young king would agree readily to his terms in order to escape from the unwanted commitment. From what he was seeing though, it seemed as if the demon king somehow cared for his fiancé, and it was making Belal feel devilishly thrilled. It would have been a mistake on his part, yes, if not for the fact that this revelation benefited him more.

He would not only succeed in overcoming the Maou's prowess; he was going to destroy him from the inside and out.

"Of course," Belal said, his eyes not leaving the two lads. "I have but simple terms, Maou-heika. But before that," he straightened in his seat, "I would like you to meet someone." At that, he brought his hands together and made a curt clap, and Yuuri watched as the door beside Belal was pushed open.

As the seventh person besides the soldiers entered the room, Yuuri stood abruptly from his seat in horror, and Wolfram felt the most exquisite urge to _kill_.

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**A/N:** Wolfram is going to kill _me_, I swear. And yes, a cliffie. This shows how much I love you all. XD Things are obviously going to take a turn for the worst in the later chapters, and this chapter is but the beginning. So hope you all keep on reading! And don't you dare leave without a review! ;D

Thanks for reading!

06/12/10 - Edited again. Thanks **gkeeper91**! :D


	7. Chapter Six: The future before them

**A/N: **For this chapter I am giving a **warning**, folks – no, it's not Sara, in case you are all wondering. XD Starting from this chapter there will be an **OC**. Yes, an OC – so my apologies to those who do not appreciate such characters. I, myself, am not a fan, but I had no choice as it is necessary for this story's plot. But I tried my best to keep the character as appropriate as possible, so I hope it won't be as disappointing. So please… do read still? I will cry if you don't! I swear! DX

My utmost gratitude to those who have read and reviewed the last chapter and have put this story on alert/favorites, thank you so much! You guys don't know how much your reviews mean to me. :D Enjoy reading!

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**CHAPTER SIX**

It was a joke. A scathingly meaningless joke. Now, Wolfram vowed never to make a single joke ever again.

He stared in horror at the young woman who entered the room, all the pain that he felt under the houseki's influence completely forgotten. The woman had waist-length, sandy-brown hair, and her bright amethyst eyes stared back at him with glee, matching the smile that graced her lips. Her resemblance to Belal was unmistakable, save for her eyes, and she possessed an air of sophistication about her. But that was not the reason why Wolfram felt excruciatingly horrified at the moment.

The young woman who had appeared in front of them was the same woman he saw in the demon mirror's vision. And Wolfram could not believe it. Rather, he did not want to believe it.

Beside him, Yuuri was in a similar trance, and the expression on his face was one of bewilderment and disbelief.

"Wolfram, Yuuri, what's wrong?" said Conrad, his voice laced with worry. But his question went unanswered as the two young lads continued to stare dumbfounded at the young woman.

Belal watched the both of them in a sick kind of amusement. "I see you two seem to be enthralled with my daughter as everybody else had been. But of course, I would not blame you," he said in a tone of complete arrogance, "her beauty is rather exquisite." His words managed to snap the two out of their trance, although they still appeared mightily dazed.

"No, that's not… that's not the point," Yuuri managed to articulate through his shock while Wolfram remained speechless. Conrad and Gwendal both looked utterly perplexed at their behaviors, but Yozak had an indefinable look on his face as he watched the scene in front of him.

"Oh, is it not?" Belal asked, sending a furtive glance at his daughter. "Why don't you introduce yourself, my dear?"

The young woman gave a polite nod to her father and spoke in a soft voice, "Greetings, Maou-heika." She gave a curt bow. "I am Bella, the only daughter of King Belal of Big Shimaron. It is my utmost pleasure to finally be of your acquaintance." At that, she approached Yuuri slowly, reaching out a hand towards his face. "It has always been my wish to be able to meet you in person—"

There was the sound of flesh hitting flesh as Wolfram forcefully slapped her hand away and Bella took a frightened step back. Yuuri's eyes widened when he realized what the blond had done. "W-Wolf—"

"Don't touch him," Wolfram growled in a voice that was dripping with animosity. "Don't you even dare lay a finger on him," he threatened. His emerald eyes flashed dangerously at the young woman, and his cheeks were tinted with scarlet from the rage that he currently felt. He knew completely well that the vision would occur inevitably, but he never expected it to happen this soon. He now realized that the anxiety that kept nagging at him entailed this confrontation, and he cursed himself for his lack of awareness. In his mind, he cursed Shinou; for what purpose did they have to meet this woman? He could handle the onslaught of the houseki on his being, and he could survive through Belal's taunts…

_But this is too much,_ Wolfram thought bitterly. _This is just too much._

At that last thought, his body finally gave way and with a last glare at the cursed woman, he collapsed to the floor.

"Wolfram!" was the startled cry that came from his companions.

Yuuri hurriedly kneeled beside him and lifted him by the shoulders, holding the side of his face with his hand. "Wolf! Oi, Wolf!" Cold fear raced through him at the blond's state; Wolfram was convulsing violently, and he was turning ghostly pale at each second. Things were definitely not good.

The young king jerked to Belal's direction when the human king spoke. "Oops," the wretched man feigned worry, "it seems that he wasn't able to handle it anymore. To think that I actually regarded highly of him for being able to even enter this mansion; a huge mistake, it seems." The man leered insultingly at them and Yuuri finally snapped.

There were startled gasps and worried cries as the whole room shook violently, a mighty gust of wind appearing all of a sudden. Yuuri let his maryoku flow against the surrounding houseki, despite the obvious strain it was dealing on his body, and was about to fully unleash the Maou's spirit if not for Conrad. The second son embraced him from behind, firmly telling him to stop and reminding him of the consequences if he were to act rashly. With that, Yuuri forced himself to calm down and with a shuddering breath, he stilled his maryoku.

The room fell still in an instant, its occupants more or less on the floor or clutching at a nearby support. Belal had grasped firmly onto the armrests of his seat, his crown slightly askew on his head, and from her place on the floor, Bella held on to a soldier who had come to support her, a frightened yet awed expression on her face.

Behind him, Conrad sighed in relief before releasing Yuuri. The young king looked back at his companions who had also collapsed to the floor, before he turned his attention back to the blond in his arms. Wolfram had already fallen unconscious, but a pained expression still graced his features. Yuuri pulled the blond closer to his chest.

A second later, Belal's guards had surrounded them, pointing their weapons ominously at Yuuri's party.

"That was quite a surprise, Maou-heika." The guards in front of Yuuri parted to let Belal pass through. The human king halted in front of the Maou, a disgusted look on his face. "I never expected you to be as foolish as to attempt to harm me. You do know that that was a mistake, do you not?"

Yuuri glared back at him but he immediately turned his head around in alarm when a familiar voice screamed. The doors burst open and Flurin was shoved roughly towards the floor. "Flurin-san!" the young king gasped and watched in horror as a soldier brought his sword down on Caloria's leader. "No!"

Flurin threw her arms over herself and waited in terror for the cold metal to slash through her, but it never came. She opened her eyes to see Yozak standing in front of her, the man's sword clashing with the soldier's.

"Now that's a pretty dirty move back there," Yozak said with a smirk as he held his sword firmly against the other's. "You can't just go and hit a lady like that." The soldier grunted and aimed another attack at him, but Yozak easily swung his own sword and the enemy's weapon flew out of its owner's hands, the guard cursing in pain. The other soldiers positioned to attack, and both Gwendal and Conrad unsheathed their swords as well.

"No, stop!" Yuuri cried and all attention was focused on him. The young king glared at Belal and said, "Tell them to stop. This is supposed to be a simple negotiation."

"And who do you think is at fault, foolish boy?" was Belal's snide remark as he nevertheless ordered his soldiers to stop. Yuuri's companions sheathed their swords as well but remained alert, and Yozak helped Flurin to her feet. "Pull a stunt like that again and I will not be held responsible for the fate of this pathetic town," Belal threatened the young Maou, who grudgingly nodded in agreement.

A few moments passed before Belal spoke again. "Now, Maou-heika," he said, a displeased expression still etched on his face. "I will explain to you my terms. But first…" The soldiers dispersed and returned to their original positions, and Belal strode back towards his seat. Yuuri and the others remained in their places, waiting impatiently for Belal to continue. The human king finally took his seat, saying, "I want to hear of yours."

Yuuri was confused. "Mine?" He looked to Gwendal for support, seeing as the eldest son possessed more knowledge about political issues like this than he did.

Gwendal turned his grey eyes at him before closing them. "In a diplomatic treaty, both parties are to state their own terms before coming to an agreement," he explained. "It is similar to when you make a common deal with someone."

"A deal?"

"The other side will do what you want if you do what _they_ want. It's as simple as that," Gwendal added and with that, Yuuri understood.

"I see," the young king muttered and he turned to Belal. "So if I ask you to let Caloria go, then you would, as long as I do what you want?" Belal did not answer him immediately, but Yuuri knew that he was right by the look of animalistic pleasure on the human king's face. Yuuri shuddered. This whole treaty may appear simple on the surface, but he had a feeling that that was not what Belal intended. The human king was planning something else.

"Yes," Belal answered, a mischievous grin drawn on his face. "Is that your term, Maou-heika?" he asked, already knowing the answer to his question. And indeed, he was correct.

Yuuri nodded at him. "We came here to free Caloria, just as I've said. So, yes, that is my term. But that's not all," Yuuri interjected immediately when Belal motioned to speak. Regardless of what Belal was planning, this was still a great opportunity for Yuuri. He could use this chance to put an end to Belal's atrocities, and he could do so without any violence. He would not let this chance slip by.

He asked Conrad to hold Wolfram for him and stood up gingerly. His outburst earlier proved to have dealt a bit more damage to him than he expected, but he nonetheless persisted. He straightened himself and with a deep breath, stated his terms.

"First, I want you to set Caloria free from any connection to Big Shimaron," he started. "You will remove your army from this town, along with the houseki, and free your captives. Caloria has its own rightful leader, and you will let her govern this land and never meddle in its affairs again." At that, Flurin made a sound of relief, to which Yuuri smiled. "Second," he continued, his dark eyes filled with unwavering resolve. "I want you to stop staging wars with any kingdom and trying to conquer them," he stated with finality, "especially with ours." At that, Yuuri finished his statement. He knew his second term asked for too much, but he had to take his chances. He waited with bated breath for Belal to answer.

On the other hand, Belal was inwardly rejoicing in glee. Everything was working according to his plans. He had expected the Maou to give such ridiculously simple terms, and though he detested the idea of relenting to the demon king's wishes, he would have to agree. After all, it would be he who would have the last laugh in the end. Of that, he was certain.

"Is that all?" Belal asked when the young king appeared to have finished speaking and indeed, Yuuri answered that he was. "Very well, then," he said, and it was noticeable how the Maou and his comrades were surprised at his reply.

"You," the young lad muttered, "you will do it?" Apparently, Yuuri was not convinced. He had expected the human king to disagree, not the opposite.

Said human king clasped his hands in front of him and grinned mischievously, saying, "But of course. Given that _you_, yourself, would agree with my own terms, then I have no reason to refuse. That is the point of this whole treaty."

Yuuri was appalled, and so were his companions. He still could not believe that Belal would agree, but this was certainly better. After all, they would be able to free Caloria, just as they had wanted. "T-Then," he stuttered, still feeling utterly baffled, "w-what are _your _terms, Belal?"

Belal had to prevent himself from bursting out in laughter, so he settled for a sneer. _Victory is mine_, he thought as he stated his own terms. "Oh, I have but a single term, Maou-heika," he said, gesturing at his daughter to approach him. "As I have said earlier, I want a truce between the human and the demon races; what you, yourself, have also wanted. It's simple really," he held Bella's hand and held it out towards Yuuri. "In exchange for the peace of this world," he paused dramatically and Yuuri noticed a strange glint in his eyes, "I want you to _marry_ my daughter."

It seemed as if time had stopped for Yuuri at Belal's last words.

"W-What…?" he mouthed after an awkward period of silence, his words coming out in mere whispers due to utter astonishment. Behind him, the others were also staring at Belal in disbelief.

"It is that _simple_, yes?" Belal asked casually back at him, and Yuuri's eyes widened more – if that was even possible at the moment.

The young king was about to retort when Yozak spoke up instead. "Tch," the man snorted. "What are you calling simple? There's no way the Maou will marry a human princess. Besides," he sent a glance at the unconscious blond, "Yuuri-heika already has a fiancé."

At his words, Yuuri was able to regain his senses. But of course, he was not in the position to be engaged to someone else; he already had Wolfram. If the blond was conscious at the moment, he would have attacked the human king without a second thought, and Yuuri smiled at that idea.

Still, why did he have that peculiar feeling that he somehow _knew_ that this would occur? That the moment he saw Bella, he already expected this turn in their conversation?

Then Yuuri finally remembered of the demon mirror's vision, that scene where Bella clung to him as he addressed Wolfram rather formally. Initially, Yuuri could not picture how things would turn out to be that particular situation, but now he did. The whole vision was already unfolding in front of him; this was only the beginning. But Yuuri could already feel his heart breaking.

_No. Not now,_ he thought bitterly. He had only come to realize how truly significant his relationship was with the blond; did he have to lose that so soon? The future was inevitable, yes. But was there really no way to change it?

"What do you say, Maou-heika?" was Belal's taunting question to him, the man obviously ignoring Yozak's statements. "Will you, or will you not marry my daughter?"

_No. I wouldn't._ Those words that ran through his mind were so simple, and he knew that if he let them slip from his lips, he would be spared from that prediction. But for all it was worth, Yuuri could never bring himself to answer that way. It was because if he refused, Caloria – no, the whole _world_ will continue to suffer. He looked over at Belal, then at his daughter, and he felt resentment build inside him at the mere sight of them both. Anger rushed through him, but helplessness soon overcame his rage, and it was with sadness that he glanced back at Wolfram's unconscious figure.

"I…" he started hesitantly, noting his friends' silent disagreements. Of course he did not want to agree; if he had the choice he would _never_ agree. But he did not have one, and that was the painful fact. There was no other way.

As he was about to give his answer though, Bella spoke.

"Please," she said, placing her free hand on her father's arm. She sent a glance to Yuuri. "You cannot expect him to answer so readily, Father. Compared to what the Maou wants, our request is anything but simple," she said politely. Apparently, Belal did not expect this from his own daughter, for he scowled in protest.

"It _is_ very simple, my dear," was the human king's retort. "In order for peace to reign in this world, our two races must become a union." Belal silently flinched at his own words. The lies he pronounced in order to defeat the demon king were detestable fabrications indeed, but he relished in the result that they would eventually bring. "And what better way for that to happen than to have a marriage between its leaders? Surely, the Maou has thought of the same."

"W-What are you—?"

"Please, Father," Bella insisted. "The least we could do is to give the Maou time to decide."

"He does not need time to decide for something as… simple… as this…" His words trailed off at the look that his daughter was giving him, silently telling him to agree. Bella's hold on his arm tightened, and reluctantly, Belal nodded in agreement. "Very well," he turned his attention back to the young Maou, who still appeared utterly bewildered. "I will give you time, Maou-heika; a day, at the very least. But that is all," he gestured for his soldiers to usher them away, but Yuuri was not content with this decision.

"I don't understand," said the young king. "What are you—"

"Yuuri," said Conrad, cutting short the Maou's words. "I know you're still confused, but I'm afraid we would have to leave as Belal has suggested."

"But, Conrad…" Yuuri turned to face the second son, but his retort immediately died in his throat when he saw Conrad glance at Wolfram.

"But of course," Belal's voice echoed behind him. "You wouldn't want to put your… _beloved fiancé_," he said the words with much distaste, "through more pain, would you? So I suggest you leave now before I change my mind."

With that, Yuuri relented. Indeed, he did not want Wolfram to suffer more, and it was evident that even Gwendal was on his limits by the now raspy breathing of the eldest son. He glanced back at the human king, and then at his daughter, who was smiling at him though Yuuri did not feel appeased at her gesture. "Then, we will leave," Yuuri stated, and he let Belal's guards usher them from the room.

As the door closed with an echoing thud, Belal said to his daughter, "Tell me exactly why you interfered earlier, Bella. It was most apparent that the Maou had no other choice but to agree. Thus, he need not more time to ponder." His lips formed into a frown at the quiet but mischievous smile on his daughter's face.

"But Father," the young woman purred, the gentle façade she had put on in the demon king's presence giving way to a mischievous demeanor. "I simply had to convince the Maou of my… _compassion_." She ran a hand through her long hair, smirking haughtily at nothing in particular. "Even if he did agree immediately, his decision would still prove ambivalent, and that would pose as a threat to our plans. If we gave him time, he would have come to a more definite conclusion."

"But what of his fiancé?"

"And what of him, Father? If you are insinuating that he will prove to be a problem, then I highly doubt that," she gently stroked the part of her hand that Wolfram had hit, frowning in displeasure. She had been surprised at the two lads' reactions when she appeared – it was highly unusual, indeed – but decided to keep silent about it. "We both know that the Maou will choose the people of Caloria over his own happiness. As you've told me countless of times before, the demon king is as gullible as a prick." She smirked at her father who sneered in turn.

Belal took her hands and held it between his, a predatory expression visible on his face. "There certainly is no mistake that you are my daughter," he commented avidly and Bella genuinely smiled at him.

"Yes, indeed," the young woman replied. "There is no need for you to worry, Father. For as you have said," her amethyst eyes flashed with iniquity, "the foolish Maou has no choice."

* * *

Yuuri sighed as he pulled the blanket up to Wolfram's chest, relief flooding through him now that the blond's condition seemed to be better. As soon as they left the mansion, the burden of the houseki on their bodies noticeably lessened and when they reached the ship, Wolfram was already breathing normally.

He perched himself on the edge of the bed and watched the steady rise and fall of Wolfram's chest as the blond slept. According to Huber, they had only been gone for about an hour, but it had already seemed too long a stretch of time for Yuuri. For one, he did not expect things to turn out as they did, especially the marriage proposal from Belal. Even if he was given the time to decide, Yuuri felt that it was useless for he, himself, knew that he had no other choice but to agree. It would only prolong his agony if he were to wait another day.

He let out another sigh. What would he say to Wolfram? That he was in no position to refuse? Somehow, that did not seem to be an acceptable excuse. The only appropriate reason he could give the blond concerned the demon mirror's vision, but he was reluctant to mention even that. It would mean that he had already accepted that unavoidable situation, when he most definitely did not.

There was the sound of a click when the door was pushed open, and Conrad stepped into the room.

"Conrad," Yuuri greeted, smiling wearily at the newcomer. "Is Gwendal…?"

"He's fine," Conrad replied with a smile of his own. He approached Yuuri and sat on the adjacent bed, his gaze lingering on Wolfram. "He's also taking his rest at his room. He was quite exhausted from the houseki, but he'll be fine."

Yuuri nodded in relief. Then he asked, "Was it really all right that we left Flurin-san back at the mansion?" The woman had insisted to stay at the mansion despite Yuuri's persistence, reasoning that she could not just leave the place. Yuuri did not want to agree, of course, but Flurin assured him that she would be fine since her safety was included in his terms; Belal could not do anything to harm her if he wanted Yuuri to agree with his. With that, the young king consented and they left the mansion without her.

"Yes. Don't worry about her, Heika," was Conrad's answer. "She is right in saying that Belal could not harm her. I have also asked Yozak to return to the mansion to keep an eye on her, just in case."

Again, Yuuri felt relieved. He turned his gaze back on Wolfram, a soft but troubled smile playing on his lips.

They fell silent for a few moments before Conrad decided to speak again. "Yuuri," he started, and the young king turned at the concern in his voice. "Is there something that you are not telling me?" he asked gently, so as not to appear impolite. Yuuri stared back at him, his dark eyes wide, and Conrad knew that the answer to his question was a _yes_. Still, he did not want to impose. "I would not insist that you tell me what that is, Yuuri," he added, "but I could not help but notice how unusual your reaction was when that young woman appeared. Wolfram's, as well."

Yuuri remained silent. In his mind, he wanted to tell Conrad the true reason, but he felt hesitant about it. He understood that the other man did not mean to trouble him; he was only stating his observations, as always. Still, what did he have to lose? It was Conrad, after all.

"Well, you see…" Yuuri said and he began to explain everything to Conrad: about the vision from the demon mirror, its implications, and of Bella's possible role in that particular future. As he spoke, he could notice his voice breaking at the middle, especially when he reached the part about the young woman. He paused after every sentence, and fell silent the moment he finished his narration. He could feel himself slightly trembling; it was the first time that he discussed the vision with anyone, and it never came to him that it would be this difficult.

If he was to describe what he was feeling at the moment, he would have to say that he felt scared – terrified, even. Putting the whole situation into words only made him realize more how dreadful it was. He did not want to lose the bond he had with Wolfram, especially not now.

He flinched when he felt a large, warm hand cover his own, and he realized only at that moment that he had been fisting the sheets under him tightly in his anxiety. He kept his head low when he spoke, thus he failed to notice exactly when the other man had knelt in front of him. He waited for Conrad to say something, but when no reply came, he raised his head slowly. What met him was one of Conrad's most sincere smiles. He waited more for the man to say something, but Conrad just continued to smile at him.

Then, "Did Wolfram have the same premonition?"

At that, Yuuri blinked. "I'm… not sure." The truth was that he did not know whether the blond had a similar vision or not. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I think he did," was Conrad's response. "If not, then he would not have the same reaction as yours," he added, and Yuuri continued to stare at him in confusion.

"I – we – haven't really talked about it, so I really don't know," the young lad said after a while. "But…" True, Wolfram did have the same reaction as he did. That meant that the blond also recognized the young woman, and he could only do so if he had the same vision. "If… if that's the case, then…" He glanced back at the sleeping blond, his brows furrowed in contemplation.

"Then it would be best for you two to talk first, before you decide." Conrad placed his hand atop the boy's head, ruffling his hair gently. "Remember Yuuri," he said and stood up, "Shinou-heika always did what he knew was best for his people." He gave another smile at Yuuri, before heading to the door and leaving the two young lads behind.

As the second son stepped into the hall, a voice called him from behind. "Captain," the voice said and he turned to see Yozak walking towards him.

"Yozak? I thought you already left for the mansion."

"I was about to, but I kinda noticed that you wanted to ask me something," Yozak replied. "So… what is it, Captain?"

Conrad regarded him for a moment before saying, "You knew of that young woman." He had noticed Yozak's reaction when Wolfram first made that joke about Belal's daughter, and when the young woman did appear.

"So you noticed, eh? That is so like you, Sir Weller." Yozak grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah, I've seen that young lady from time to time, but I never thought that that would be her role. Although I did have a hunch since the moment I saw her," he explained before sighing gloomily. "This is going to be hard on the kid, won't it? I noticed that those two had been acting more like a couple should since you arrived. Too bad that this had to happen," he added with a shake of his head, a frown on his usually jolly face.

Beside him, Conrad only nodded in agreement, an unusual frown drawn on his own lips.

On the other hand, Yuuri buried his face into his hands after Conrad left. He was at a loss. He knew that he would have to talk to Wolfram sooner or later, but he was not sure whether he even could.

Feeling more anxious and confused than before, he knelt beside the bed and took Wolfram's hand in his, bringing it to the spot on his chest where his heart was beating with uncertainty. With a heavy sigh, he laid his head on the bed, still holding the blond's hand, and closed his eyes.

Yuuri did not know when and how he fell asleep, but it was already dark when he opened his eyes… and Wolfram was nowhere to be found.

* * *

**A/N: **So yes, another cliffy. I just love you guys so much that I can't help myself. XD Haha.

I do hope Bella was tolerable. She's an antagonist, so I don't expect you to like her. In fact, I'm encouraging you all to _hate_ her and I hope you did, because that would be a success on my part. XD Anyway, I was planning on writing more, but this already reached nine pages so I had to stop. I have this current obsession to only have eight pages per chapter; any more or less than that and I feel all bothered already. Silly, yes? XD Besides, I love you guys, so don't betray me and don't forget to review! ;D

Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter Seven: No Future

**A/N: **I got ten reviews for the last chapter during the first day – the _first_ day! XD Thank you all so much! I and this story would not have reached this far if it weren't for your encouragements, so I owe you guys a lot! ;D Seriously, I think this is the longest I've gone, with being serious and all. Haha. XD I do hope I'd be able to complete this. Anyway, this chapter is just seven pages long. I'm not that satisfied with the length but this is still one of the most significant parts of the story, so I hope you guys appreciate it. :D

Enjoy reading!

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**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Yuuri woke up with a start. He did not notice when he had fallen asleep, but he was certain that he was not alone when he did. He could still feel the warmth of Wolfram's hand in his, which meant that the blond had not been gone for long.

He stood gingerly from the floor and the blanket covering him slid from his shoulders. He sent a short glance at it before heading to the door. Where could Wolfram be?

Stepping out into the hall, Yuuri almost collided with Huber in his haste. "Sorry!" he apologized automatically.

"There's no need to apologize, Heika," Huber replied with a dismissive shake of his head. Noting Yuuri's worried demeanor, he asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Having thought of an idea, Yuuri questioned him in turn, "Have you seen Wolfram?" Expectation became evident in his expression, but it came as soon as it had appeared when Huber shook his head, the man apologizing in reply. "Oh," he muttered in disappointment then added hastily, "no need to say sorry!" He grinned. Huber nodded and excused himself politely, leaving Yuuri behind.

The young king sighed. It was imperative that he talked to Wolfram, but that was not possible if the blond was not around. He started down the hall, entering each cabin in search for Wolfram, but to no apparent luck. He finally reached the end of the ship where the kitchen was located, and beamed in relief at the sight of Conrad and Gwendal.

Both men turned as the kitchen door swung open, revealing a slightly flustered Yuuri. "Heika?" said Conrad, an empty coffee mug in his hand. "Is there a problem?" Across the table, Gwendal was sipping his own cup of freshly brewed coffee.

"Nazukeoya," Yuuri retorted with a pout. "I told you not to call me that. But anyway," he closed the door behind him, "have you seen Wolfram? I've already looked for him in every cabin but I can't seem to find him." He was barely able to conceal the hint of worry in his voice.

"Wolfram? Isn't he with you?" Conrad asked him back.

A soft blush appeared on the young king's cheeks as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, he was earlier," he muttered, "but I fell asleep and when I woke up, he was gone."

Conrad stared at him for a moment before answering, "I was just about to get you both. But no, we haven't seen him yet." He frowned when Yuuri sighed. "Yuuri?" he asked. The young lad shook his head wearily at him, smiling albeit disappointedly. He was hoping that Conrad would know, but since the man said otherwise…

"Have you tried the deck?" Yuuri blinked when Gwendal suddenly spoke. The eldest son was still sipping his coffee, his eyes closed and brows furrowed in his usual scowl.

"No, not yet," he replied. "But now I will! Thanks, Gwendal." The young king turned to leave but he stopped halfway through opening the door when Gwendal called him back. "Yes?" he asked, turning his attention back on the eldest son.

Gwendal put his cup down on the table, his indigo eyes fixed firmly on Yuuri. For a few moments, the man did not speak, to which the young lad stared back at him quizzically. Then, he straightened in his seat and crossed his arms in front of him, asking, "Have you decided yet, Maou-heika?"

It was apparent that the question took Yuuri by surprise. He accidentally released his hold on the door and it abruptly swung close with a loud thud, making him jerk in surprise. He glanced hesitantly at Gwendal who was still staring back at him, then at Conrad who was also watching him in a pensive manner, before turning his gaze back at Gwendal. He knew what the eldest son was pertaining to; he only had the remaining half of the day to decide on whether he would agree to Belal's terms or not. At that, Yuuri felt somewhat annoyed.

Of course he would agree, whether he wanted to or not, and believe him, he did _not_. Given the circumstances however, Yuuri did not even have the option to persuade Belal to change his condition, much less to disagree. And Gwendal should already know that much.

Still, it was a well-known fact that the eldest son treasured the welfare of Shin Makoku more than anyone else did – with Shinou being the only possible exception – and Yuuri could not blame the man if he demanded an answer. He, himself, understood how crucial his decision was.

So with a rather dejected sigh, he said, "You know, I still don't understand why Belal proposed of a marriage."

A few moments passed again before Gwendal heaved out a sigh of his own. Bringing a hand to his throbbing temple, he began to explain. "It is as Belal had said. In order for two different races to become a union, there are a variety of methods, but a marriage between the leaders is the most common option."

"There are other ways?" Yuuri asked, slightly bewildered by this information. "Then why did Belal—?"

"Because it is not only the most common, Yuuri," Conrad interjected with a somewhat disturbed expression on his face, "it is also the best."

"The people look up to their leaders, and being married to each other despite their differences symbolizes something more significant than if a joint government was formed with officials from both parties," Gwendal supplied. "You are the Maou," he pointed to Yuuri, "and your people greatly respect you. It is comparable to being a role model for your subjects."

When Yuuri remained silent, Conrad continued. "Whether it is here or on Earth, the meaning of marriage is the same, Yuuri," he said. "If you, the demon king, married a human princess, your matrimony would symbolize an end to the prejudiced views of the people about humans and demons. They would learn to accept each other because their lords did, and that would be a relatively easy task because it was a _marriage_, Yuuri." The second son paused before adding, "It is not as meager as a signed contract which can be breached eventually."

Every word that Conrad uttered brought new understanding to Yuuri. But of course, he knew the significance of matrimony – it was a bond for life. _Till death do us part_.

"You're a… kind person," Gwendal remarked, albeit hesitantly. "You would not dare stand idly by when a comrade is in peril. It is also not a secret that you earnestly wish for the mazoku and the humans to reach an understanding and acknowledge one other, and that you would do anything for that purpose," said Gwendal. "Belal must have considered these facts when he planned his proposal and this entire escapade."

Wait. What? "Are you saying that Belal… that all he really wanted in the first place was for me to marry his daughter?" Yuuri asked, a look of utter shock on his face and all thoughts about the true value of marriage vanishing from his mind. "That he was only holding Caloria hostage so I'd have no other choice but to agree? And that _that_ was what he meant by having me_ surrender_?" It was purely preposterous for someone to go through such extremes just to achieve what they wanted, and Yuuri found himself despising the human king more and more by each passing second.

Belal was simply despicable.

"I'm afraid that is exactly what is happening," was Gwendal's response.

"Then what is his point?" Yuuri exclaimed, much to the two men's surprise. He could barely contain the frustration overflowing inside him.

"That is what we're trying to know," the second son muttered gently. "It is apparent that Belal is scheming something behind this marriage proposal, and we _will _determine what that is." He approached the young king cautiously and placed a hand on the lad's trembling shoulder. "Calm down, Yuuri."

Calm down? How could he possibly calm down? He had only realized how foolish he had been for not recognizing this entire egotistical act, how the human king practically toyed with him from the beginning as if he was just some lifeless marionette. He had been greatly concerned by Caloria's safety that he had failed to see the whole picture, and Belal most probably knew of that. And now, his imprudence would cost him the one person he had unconsciously cherished for so long…

"So you're saying…" he muttered darkly and quietly, "that I'm going to lose Wolfram… just because of Belal's selfishness?" With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving an exceedingly concerned Conrad and a somewhat dejected Gwendal behind.

He had to fight to prevent the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. The frustration and helplessness that he felt was causing his chest to tighten considerably, and all of a sudden he found it hard to breath. He strode through the hall with heavy steps, with a single thought in his otherwise chaotic mind.

He had to find Wolfram. Even if it was just to see him, he needed to find the blond.

Soon, Yuuri was ascending the wooden steps towards the ship's deck, and he fell still the moment he reached the upper landing. There, at the southern end of the ship, was Wolfram, a sword in his hand as he slashed through the air in a steady pace.

With another slash, Wolfram let his arms fall limply to his sides, his cheeks flushed and his breath coming out in hurried gasps. He had been training alone ever since he woke up; he wanted to strain his body to the point of exhaustion and prevent himself from thinking of that cursed woman and that unbearable premonition. But no matter what he did, those wretched thoughts persistently haunted him, and they came at him with horrifying intensity in every turn. He had felt infuriated of himself for falling unconscious in front of that despicable human king and his daughter, but he felt more furious at the only implication of that woman's presence.

Gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, he swung hard when he felt another presence nearing him, his patience already well at its limits that he could probably _kill_ anyone who dared disturb him. To his surprise, the presence turned out to be Yuuri, the young king sputtering incoherently due to the cold edge of Wolfram's blade on his neck.

The blond took a moment to recover from his shock, before he finally pulled his sword away and turned his back against the still stammering Maou. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, not even bothering to hide his displeasure. Yes, it was Yuuri, and normally he would have been pleased at seeing the other lad. But at that moment, he just did not feel like being with Yuuri – it would only worsen what pain he was already dealing with.

Yuuri was taken aback at the blond's behavior, but he nonetheless responded. "I… was looking for you," he said warily, noting how Wolfram appeared awfully tense at the moment. Of course, he, himself, felt the same. "We… we need to talk, Wolf."

"What's there to talk about?" Wolfram snapped at him, his back still against Yuuri. He knew where this conversation was headed, and for the love of Shinou – he did _not _want to talk about it. "Whatever it is, I don't want to talk about it. So just leave me alone," he added harshly through gritted teeth.

"No!" Yuuri exclaimed and Wolfram flinched at the obstinacy in his voice. "We need to talk, Wolfram," he insisted, taking a step closer to the blond. Wolfram visibly tensed at this, and a moment of awkward silence passed between the two of them. "You…" Yuuri started, breaking the silence. "You saw the same vision…from the demon mirror… didn't you?"

"Of course, I did," was the blond's immediate retort. "It was painfully obvious that we both know who that woman is and who she will be, so of course I did." He hated this conversation. He wanted to hit the other lad for being so frustratingly gullible, and he wanted to hit himself for even answering Yuuri's questions.

Silence fell between them for the second time, the only sounds coming from the sloshing of the sea waves and the steady beat of the human soldier's boots as they patrolled through the docks. When he came to the deck, Yuuri noticed that there was no one else around except for Wolfram; the blond must have threatened Gwendal's men to leave him alone lest they wanted to be beheaded. Thus, the two of them were alone at the moment, which Yuuri did not mind since he preferred speaking with Wolfram about that particular matter with no one else around.

After a few minutes or so, Yuuri spoke again, and it was exactly what Wolfram had feared to hear him say.

"Belal wants me to marry his daughter in exchange for Caloria's freedom."

At that moment, Wolfram felt as if his heart had stopped beating inside his chest. He _knew_. Even before Yuuri said it, he already knew. There was no other explanation for why the woman in the vision suddenly appeared before them. But was it wrong to wish that he was somehow mistaken? Hearing those words aloud only proved how meaningless his hopes were, and they hurt more than what Wolfram had anticipated. They hurt _a whole lot more_.

"They gave me time to decide but… Wolf?" Yuuri asked when Wolfram remained dreadfully silent. He had expected the lad to become enraged and lash out at him once he had said those words, but not for Wolfram to remain as forebodingly quiet as this. "Wolf? Did you hear what I—wait!" He instantly pulled Morgif from its sheath out of sheer reflex when Wolfram brought his sword down on him without the slightest warning. Thankfully, he decided to take the demon sword with him when he left the room earlier.

There was the constant sound of metal clashing against metal as Wolfram relentlessly attacked Yuuri, who had no choice but to defend his self and parry the other's attacks.

"Wolf, what are you doing?" the young king cried as he barely evaded another attack from Wolfram. Well, the blond _did _become enraged as he had expected. "Wolfram, stop this!" Yuuri cried yet again. He brought Morgif in front of his face just in time to block Wolfram's own sword. "We have to talk! I know you're mad but we still have to—"

"Do it."

Yuuri fell silent and his eyes evidently widened. "W-What?"

"I said _do it_, you stupid wimp."

Yuuri remained in his state of utter shock. He could not believe what the other had just told him. Was Wolfram serious? They were close enough if not for their weapons, but Yuuri could not determine the expression on Wolfram's face. The blond's eyes were hidden beneath the shadow of his bangs, and Yuuri could only notice the slight trembling of his bottom lip. "W-Wolf?"

_Would you stop saying my name?_ Wolfram screamed inside his head. He hated this. He did not want Yuuri to agree to that proposal, even if it was in exchange for the safety of a whole town. What did he care about Caloria anyway? For all he cared, the entire town could vanish as long as he had his dim-witted fiancé with him. Yuuri was his and his alone. He would not let him marry anyone else, especially not Belal's wretched daughter. He was the one destined to be Yuuri's beloved, not some pathetic human princess, and he would never allow himself to lose Yuuri. But…

With a strangled cry he heaved a large swing at Yuuri and Morgif flew out of the young king's grasp. Yuuri fell forcefully to the floor with a pained cry. "Wolf! What are you—?" He gasped when he felt the cold tip of Wolfram's sword on his throat. "O-Oi…" He stared up at Wolfram in horror as the blond looked back at him, his emerald orbs flashing darkly with cold rage. Before, Wolfram had declared boldly that he would rather kill Yuuri than let him be with someone else. At that moment, Yuuri could not help but assume that Wolfram would do just that.

Unknown to Yuuri, the blond was thinking of the same thing. He could kill Yuuri then and there, regardless of the likely punishment that his own brother would bestow on him, and spare himself from that dreaded premonition. He scoffed inwardly; he would rather face the death sentence than lose Yuuri to someone else, and he laughed bitterly at how incongruous that ideal was.

Life was so unfair that he could already taste its bitter irony.

"Tomorrow," Wolfram started in a low voice, "you will agree to Belal's proposal."

Yuuri snapped out of his thoughts at Wolfram's words. "You... you want me to agree?" he said in a completely incredulous manner. He continued to stare up at Wolfram, silently pleading that he heard wrong. "You're not serious, are you? You can't be serious!" Yuuri cried to Wolfram's astonishment. _No,_ the young king thought, _please tell me you're not._ When Wolfram did not answer him, Yuuri felt his anxiety swallow him whole. "You're lying, Wolf," he insisted, his voice breaking at the middle. "I don't believe you! You're telling me to just go ahead and marry someone else, is that it?"

"You have no choice!" the blond snapped equally at him.

"What do you mean I have no choice? Even if that's the case you'd—"

"I'd have done nothing!" Wolfram cried back, cutting Yuuri's words short. He was now trembling fiercely, barely able to maintain a firm grip on his sword. "Everyone knows that you would choose Caloria over _me_, so stop pretending!" As soon as the words escaped his mouth, the tears he had been holding back fell from his eyes. Any retort that Yuuri would have uttered died in his throat at the sight of the blond crying in front of him. "We have no future, Yuuri," Wolfram whispered with a sad smile on his lips. "Everything has been planned out. If not by Belal, then by Shinou, and we both know that we can do nothing against his will," the blond stated, his voice laced with the excruciating pain that he was feeling. With a quiet sob, he pulled his weapon away and sheathed it, refusing to look at Yuuri.

_This is what you wanted, isn't it? _He asked silently. _Well, now you have it._

When Yuuri did nothing but gape back at him in disbelief, Wolfram wiped his tears away with a clenched fist and added, "I'm cancelling our engagement." At that, he stepped aside and motioned to walk away.

He did not expect Yuuri to suddenly appear in front of him and for the young king to grip his shoulders tightly, a frantic expression on his usually calm face. "Yuu…" His voice trailed off when he noticed how violently Yuuri was trembling, the young king's mouth opening and closing as words seemed to fail him, until he finally settled with bowing and shaking his head repeatedly at Wolfram. His grip on the blond's shoulders was so tight that Wolfram already felt numb under his grasp. But the blond did not pay attention to that, not when he saw the tears welling in Yuuri's eyes.

The young king's heart and thoughts were in disarray. He was thrown into panic at Wolfram's last statement, and it was all he could do not to break down and let the blond walk away. He wanted to believe that this was all just a ridiculous nightmare, that when he woke up, Wolfram was still his overzealous fiancé, that the vision and the confrontation with Belal were but fragments of his pathetic imagination, and that he would still have the chance to show Wolfram how he really felt.

Without a second thought, Yuuri pulled Wolfram closer and gently pressed his lips against the blond's, in the same way that Wolfram did during their first kiss. He felt the blond stiffen against him, obviously astounded at this gesture. Wolfram made a sound of protest in his throat, but Yuuri ignored him. Instead, the young king wrapped his arms tightly around the blond and pulled him even closer, relishing at how soft Wolfram's lips felt against his own and how right it felt for him to hold the other like this. Soon, Wolfram seemed to relax in his hold, the blond's hands flush against his chest.

The things that Yuuri would give just to stay in that moment… He did not care if someone saw them, and he did not care of what others thought. He just wanted to hold Wolfram like this, to forget about everything else but the feel of the blond's lips on his. But as much as he wanted to stay in that way forever, it was as Wolfram had said…

They had no future.

Slowly, Wolfram broke the kiss. He pulled away from Yuuri just enough so he could stare into those alluring dark orbs that he had come to love. His own eyes reflected the affection that he clearly felt for no one but the pathetic wimp in front of him. With a poignant smile he held Yuuri's face between his hands, sighing against the Maou's lips. "You shouldn't have done that," he whispered, leaning his forehead against Yuuri's. "You really shouldn't have done that…" With another sigh, he pushed himself away from Yuuri and walked away, leaving the young king to collapse on the floor and wallow in his tears.

How long he had been crying, Yuuri did not care. He just let his tears flow until nothing was left of him. And even as Conrad came, he just stayed there and cried.

_It is difficult when you do not understand the cause of your grief. It is more difficult, however, when you know what makes you happy, but you cannot do anything to have it._

_

* * *

_

**A/N:** Before you guys all kill me, do you mind if a write a last will and testament first? T-T I know, I know. I'm mean; my sister has told me so for the nth time already. But I told you, I can't help it! XD I do hope I didn't overdo it, though. I was on the verge of crying when I wrote this so I apologize if this chapter turned out to be overly melancholic. But I do hope the kiss made up for the sappiness. ;D You can all go ahead and tell me exactly how you felt about this; I won't bite – maybe. XD Haha. Anyway, don't forget to review!

Thank you so much for reading! The last quote was from a friend, by the way. :)

But on a sadder note: I have school already and senior year in college is a major bitch, so please bear with the slower updates from now on. I'll try as much as I can to keep up the pace, especially since I am so bent on completing this one (and to finally continue my other stories), but I can't promise anything even if I wanted to. Hope you guys still stay with me or even with just this fic, though. I'd appreciate it so much. :) Till the next chapter then! Wish me luck! ;D


	9. Chapter Eight: The True Choice

**A/N: **Hooray! I was actually able to finish this in time. XD Haha. I got some… _intense_ reviews for the last chapter, if I may say so myself, and I was so happy because of them. Thank you so much, you guys! You all are priceless treasures. ;D

Enjoy reading!

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**CHAPTER EIGHT**

The next morning found Yuuri at the Gilbit Mansion's war room, standing in front of a gallingly conceited but currently incredulous Belal. Or so, that was how he appeared to Yuuri.

"Correct me if I'm mistaken, Maou-heika," the human king tentatively stated as he continued to glance at the young king in mock disbelief. "But did you just say that you _agree_ to my proposal?" he asked in an infuriatingly haughty manner that Yuuri had to prevent himself from actually pouncing on the wretched man.

"Yes," the young king answered through gritted teeth. "I believe that is what I've said."

A moment of awkward silence reigned in the room before the human king burst out laughing, thoroughly unashamed. It was all Yuuri could do not to lose his temper, lest he release the Maou's spirit again as he had done the day before. Behind him, his escorts were apparently in a similar state of mind. He glanced over his shoulder to see Gwendal holding the hilt of his sword in a subtle stance, while Yozak and Conrad had their arms crossed stiffly over their chests. Flurin, who had greeted them when they arrived that morning, was also glaring fiercely at the human king.

A sharp pang of sadness tore through Yuuri's chest at the absence of one particular blond.

He turned his attention back to the human king when Belal's untimely fit subsided, leaving the man in a faint series of hiccups and chuckles. Yuuri found it repulsive.

"F-Forgive me," Belal said in between breaths. "But I merely could not stop myself." He took a deep, calming breath and rested his chin on his intertwined hands, staring at Yuuri with a predatory expression. "Not that I hadn't expected you to agree," he said. "But we all know _you had no choice_, do we not, Maou-heika?"

Yuuri fought to restrain himself. His nerves were well on its ends since the night before, and the ridicule that Belal was throwing painfully at his face only aggravated his situation. With clenched fists, he heatedly answered Belal's question, "But of course, seeing as you have planned everything from the get-go, I had _absolutely_ _no choice_." If looks could kill, Belal surely would have been a rotting corpse by now. But since that would never be the case, Yuuri decided on mentally murdering him instead.

The despicable man only made a dismissive gesture at the Maou's death glare. He snapped his fingers and one of his advisors entered the room, a pair of rolled up parchments in his arms. The advisor laid both of the parchments on the table set up in the middle of the room, and Yuuri mirrored Belal in approaching the desk.

With a quill in his right hand, Yuuri waited for Belal to make the first move. It was not a secret that he was completely disinclined to his own decision, and he intended to demonstrate just that.

Belal noticed this rebellious gesture, of course, but he nonetheless disregarded it. After all, there was nothing else that the demon king could do after the treaty was signed. The foolish boy was a sitting duck when it came to peace, and as Yuuri bent down to sign his own part of the treaty, Belal's consciousness drowned in the explicit sensation of victory.

"Well then," the human king said in finality as he offered his hand in front of him. "This now signifies the beginning of _peace_ in this world, does it not, Maou-heika?"

Yuuri stared at the hand with all of the hatred he could muster, before reluctantly grabbing it in an uncertain handshake. "Yes," he muttered. "It does."

With that, the treaty was signed and the deal was closed. Caloria was free from Belal and yes, it was indeed the beginning of the peace that Yuuri have so longed for. But as the lad turned towards his companions, a sinking feeling of guilt and depression welled inside him. Yuuri knew he should feel jubilant and rejoice at his accomplishment, but at that moment, he just could not find it in himself to even _smile_.

"Yuuri."

He raised his dark eyes to Conrad's almond ones, and Yuuri did not fail to notice the concern swimming in those earthen pools. The young king sighed and shook himself; he could not act weak in front of his comrades, most especially not in front of his enemies. With now a bright albeit forced grin on his face, Yuuri patted Conrad's shoulder in an assuring manner. "No need to look so down, Conrad," he said, flinching at how strained his own voice had sounded. "We finally did it, so we might as well be proud of ourselves." Yuuri did not know who he was reassuring – Conrad or himself. But somewhere inside him, the young king knew that he was the one that needed the comfort the most.

Nevertheless, the whole escapade has finally ended and they can go home. And perhaps Yuuri can…

"Maou-heika," a familiar voice called and Yuuri turned to see Bella standing next to her father, a number of female attendants holding suitcases behind her.

"B-Bella-san," was the young king's uncertain greeting. He eyed the luggage suspiciously. "Those suitcases… are you travelling back to Big Shimaron?" he asked. Beside him, he noticed Gwendal's frown deepen.

"Oh, no, Heika," Bella answered, walking slowly towards him. She then reached out to hold Yuuri's hands in hers, still smiling amiably. "Since you have agreed to my father's proposal, then it is already acceptable for me to say that I am now, formally, your fiancée, and I would like to come with you to Shin Makoku."

Yuuri took a moment to register exactly what the young lady had just said. "You… you're coming with us?" he asked, the incredulity in his voice barely hidden. "Why?"

"To be with you, of course," was Bella's sweet reply, and she wrapped her arms around the Maou's arm, much to Yuuri's surprise.

Gwendal distinctively narrowed his eyes at the act. "Forgive me," he said in his characteristically low voice, "but I'm afraid that allowing you to accompany the Maou to our country is not that simple." Yuuri evidently felt relieved at his statement and the lad gently pulled his arm away from Bella's hold.

"And why not?" said Belal as he gestured his daughter towards him. "As the Maou's fiancée, my daughter has every right to be with His Majesty. Isn't that right, Maou-heika?"

The young king flinched at Belal's question. Once again, the ultimate decision was his, and he hated it. He knew the man was right and that he, again, had no choice but to agree. He glared at the smug smirk etched on the human king's face. How could this despicable human manipulate him as easily as if he was a mere puppet on strings? Was he truly that susceptible?

He glanced at Gwendal and noted the firm disagreement in his expression, but even the first son should know that Yuuri could not just decline the human princess' request. By the treaty's provisions, they were now engaged and it was true that Bella had every right to be with him, just as Wolfram did.

_Wolfram._

It was foolish and impossibly hopeless, but Yuuri hoped that since this whole ordeal was over, he could spend some more time with Wolfram; to sort things out, if possible, or even just to _be _with the blond. He did not care if Wolfram had already cancelled their engagement; he could still be with Wolfram if he wanted to, even just as a soldier and his king. Of course, that was what Yuuri wished for. He knew too well that Wolfram would somehow avoid him, and that thought greatly troubled him.

But now, Bella was insisting on coming with them, and all possibilities of him being with Wolfram went flying out of the window. Shinou was being painfully unfair to him at the moment, not that he had not been ever since the beginning.

With an audible gulp, Yuuri cleared his throat. "O-Of course," he answered meekly and cringed under the heated stare Gwendal sent him. Thankfully, Conrad said something to his older brother that made him calm down, and Yuuri sighed heavily.

"Good." Belal clapped his hands twice and the female attendants exited the room with his daughter's luggage. "I expect you to take good care of my daughter, Maou-heika. As you might have noticed," said Belal as he ushered his daughter back towards the young king, "she is as delicate as a flower."

"Tch, yeah right," Yozak muttered under his breath and earned a reprimanding look from Conrad.

The second son could clearly see how gravely this turn of events had affected them all, especially Yuuri. There was certainly a possibility that Belal had a different motive behind this supposed engagement, and it could never be for the benefit of the world as the human king had claimed.

As they were escorted back towards their carriage, Conrad watched the apprehensive young king from behind. He had been present during Yuuri's conversation with Wolfram, unknown to both lads, and had witnessed everything. His own heart shattered at the sight of his two most treasured people in tears, and even that was an understatement. If only there was something he could do…

"Conrad?" Yuuri's worried voice broke him out of his reverie.

"What is it, Heika?" he asked, giving Yuuri his typical, warm smile. The young king grinned back at him.

"I thought something was wrong but then I guess not," Yuuri replied. Then he subtly pulled his arm away from Bella's grip as they sat beside each other inside the carriage, absently wondering that it should be Wolfram sitting next to him instead.

Conrad watched as the human princess held on to the still resisting Maou, then glanced at Gwendal beside him. A deep scowl painted the first son's face, and it was apparent that he was not at all pleased with how the events had turned out. After all, Conrad mused, who would be?

* * *

Wolfram slowly traced a manicured fingertip along the rim of his coffee mug, heaving out another sigh. He rested his chin on his right hand, the once bright verdant of his eyes now a dull and hazy green.

From across the table, Geigen Huber examined his sword with the least bit of interest, his concern heightened at the unusual lassitude of the third son. After hearing another sigh from Wolfram, he sheathed his weapon and laid it on the table, then directly faced the observably crestfallen blond.

"Your Excellency," Huber started cautiously. He was not one to meddle in the affairs of another individual, but at present, he felt the need to somehow end this tirade of sighs that the blond was conducting. After all, Wolfram von Bielefeld was known to be an overt and expressive individual, quick to temper but still acceptably rational, and his present behavior was far from this. Needless to say, Huber was concerned. "If I may speak freely," he requested.

Wolfram set his blank gaze at him for a few seconds before the blond nodded his consent, albeit noncommittally. Then, to Huber's dismay, he let out another sigh.

"Your Excellency," the man said, his voice tinged with the slightest exasperation. "I am by no means meddling in your personal affairs, Sir von Bielefeld. But seeing as you would have preferred to accompany His Majesty rather than stay behind," Huber stated pointedly, "then with all due respect, you should have done just that instead of being morose in his absence."

A moment of silence passed between them in which Wolfram settled to biting his lip instead of sighing. Then he shrugged, his lips drawn in a bitter smirk. "I guess you're right," he muttered quietly. "I should have just gone with them."

"Then why didn't you?"

True, why didn't he? Sadly, even Wolfram himself did not have an answer to that question. He had made himself believe that he did not accompany them this time around because of the houseki, but even he was aware of how pathetic that excuse was. Nothing had hindered him from being with Yuuri before, and the houseki was not an exception.

At that, Wolfram scoffed inwardly. Yes, _before_.

Now, he did not have the right to be with Yuuri. No, let him rephrase that – he _did not want _to be with Yuuri. Or so that was what he thought when he had outright refused to go with them that morning. But was that even true? Because if it was, then why was he feeling such profound regret? Normally, he would go out of his way just to be with the wimp, but now he was reduced to sulking like a child because of an irrational decision. He was acting like a coward, something that he most definitely was not, for the mere reason of not wanting to suffer more pain than what he was already dealing with.

And he hated it. Only Shinou knew just how much he wanted to be with his king.

The sound of neighing horses from outside brought him out of his reverie and Wolfram stood up in haste. "They're back." He could feel his heart practically jump in anticipation. Ironic, wasn't it?

Huber, who had stood up himself and was now at the door, glanced back at him with a soft smile and said, "Indeed so." At that, Wolfram ran past him and towards the upper deck, a silly smile on his face. Never mind about not wanting to be with Yuuri – he was most probably lying to himself anyway.

The blond practically flew along the hallway and up the flight of wooden steps in his haste to get to the deck. But he soon found out that what he had anticipated to see and what reality wanted him to see were two completely different things, and Wolfram was starting to think that life was deliberately toying with him.

There at the docks were Conrad, Yozak and Gwendal, who were engaged in a conversation with Flurin Gilbit. Yuuri was also there, looking exactly how he had this morning, save for the nuisance who clung to his arm at that very moment. Wolfram instantly felt his temper rise.

"Brother," he called out as he descended from the ship. His eyes, however, were not on Gwendal, but on the insolent human princess beside Yuuri, and he blatantly glared when said human even had the gall to smile back at him. His resolve wavered, however, when he set foot on the docks, but gods forbid if he was to show weakness in front of his adversary again. Once was enough.

"Wolfram."

But hearing Yuuri call his name still had the same "heart-stopping" effect regardless of how their relationship had recently turned out, and Wolfram had to stop himself from compulsively snatching the young king away from the obnoxious woman. But as it was, the presence of the human princess – he refused to call her by her name and he never will – here would only connote that the treaty had been signed and she was already formally engaged with the Maou. In other words, Wolfram did not have the right to do what he wanted anymore, even though what he desperately wanted at that moment was to see the despicable witch writhing under his flames and dying in front of him.

Oh, yes. That would be fun, just as much as he would enjoy thinking of several insulting titles for the ingrate before him.

"I'm fine," he snapped at Yuuri, who was looking at him with such a concerned expression that Wolfram felt his anger melt away. How pathetic was he? He made sure to glare at the wimp before letting out an "Hmph" and crossing his arms. Yuuri chuckled nervously in turn.

"It seems that Belal is being true to his word," Conrad said as he approached them. "The barrier seems to have been lifted already." True, the Horyouku users were now nowhere to be found, Wolfram noticed, and the effect of the dust on his body was considerably less than before. "Though it will take time for the dust to disperse, so bear with it for a little longer, Wolfram. Just until we set sail," Conrad added.

"You don't need to tell me that." Wolfram pouted at him. "So," he muttered, his eyes narrowed implicitly at the newcomer. "What is _she_ doing here?" he hissed at Conrad, his voice dripping with pure animosity.

Conrad merely smiled at him. "Miss Bella wishes to accompany His Majesty to Shin Makoku as his… fiancée," he said with a short pause, noting the way that Wolfram's glare softened into a pained expression, even if the blond immediately masked this reaction with another glare.

Yuuri also noticed this of course, and he was not as dense as to not be affected by the blond's reaction. If they were in a different situation, the young king most certainly would have been glad that Wolfram decided to greet them as they returned; despite the fact that the blond did not even dare show himself to Yuuri that morning. But with how things were at present, especially with Bella still clinging onto him like there was no tomorrow, Yuuri would have preferred for Wolfram to not see him rather than have the blond suffer more.

"It's just a visit," the young king blurted out. He cringed when Wolfram directed his bitterness at him. "J-Just a visit… isn't that right, Bella-san?" he asked with a nervous grin on his face.

Said Bella, however, had definite plans of her own. "Just call me Bella, _Yuuri_," she purred, smiling sweetly at the young king, "and no, of course not. It is not just a mere visit. As your fiancée, I might as well imbibe your way of living, seeing as we would most likely be_ married_ in the near future." Her amethyst gaze wandered to a particular blond, and Wolfram's patience snapped.

"You wretched—"

"Wolfram," Conrad muttered quietly as he held the blond by the arm, silently warning him not to heed the human princess' insults. Fortunately, Wolfram managed to regain his composure, though deep inside he was still seething in rage. Why he even permitted Yuuri to marry this loathsome creature was beyond him – his nobility and loyalty as a soldier proved to be quite illogical at times. Now he wondered whether he should have just let his selfishness reign instead of permitting Yuuri to be engaged to someone else.

Regret always did come in the end.

"Ne, Yuuri," Wolfram heard the wretched female say. Honestly, the gall of this woman to call Yuuri by his given name in front of him. It was a blatant show of mockery, and Wolfram was not one to let himself be insulted so thoroughly. "Aren't you tired? Why don't we go to _our_ room to rest—?"

"_Your_ room?" Wolfram heard himself say before he could stop himself. "Oh, I'll show you to _your_ room, princess, where you will stay _on your own_," he spat out. Never mind Conrad's grip on his arm tightening or of Yuuri gawking at him like a brainless fish – he was _not_ going to let this witch have her way. Not if he could help it. "Not unless you'd want it otherwise, _Maou-heika_."

Yuuri felt a painful twinge in his chest at how Wolfram had addressed him. _Maou-heika… _he repeated to himself and found that he did not like it when Wolfram called him that. He did not like it at all.

Bella, on the other hand, appeared as if she wanted to refuse Wolfram's offer, but she was forcibly silenced under the blond's menacing glare. Even she could see how implicitly furious the Maou's former fiancé was, and she knew better than to argue with someone in such a state. Reluctantly, she nodded in agreement and released Yuuri's arm, but not before giving the young king a soft peck on the cheek, to which Wolfram's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. It was all he could do not to kill the woman then and there.

Wolfram motioned for the princess to follow him and stomped back towards the ship, with Bella and her attendants behind him. Conrad watched as they faded from his view before approaching Yuuri, who had somehow fallen into a dejected silence after the blond's last statement. The young king seemed to have not even noticed Bella's gesture of affection, as Wolfram's words rang incessantly in his head.

"Maou-heika, huh?" Yuuri sighed dejectedly. It felt completely wrong, of that he was certain.

"Yuuri," Conrad started softly. He was unable to continue, however, when Gwendal and Flurin approached them.

"The preparations are complete, Maou-heika," stated Gwendal. "You may return to Shin Makoku as you wish."

"Aren't you coming back with us, Gwendal?"

The first son shook his head. "I will stay here to ascertain that Belal accedes to our part of the treaty, which he should since we agreed to his." Gwendal's frown evidently deepened when Yuuri heaved out another sigh. He glanced at Conrad, who smiled sadly at him in turn.

Flurin appeared in front of Yuuri and held the young king's hand in hers. "Heika," she said, her voice laced with both gratitude and guilt. "Once again, you have proved your kindness to Caloria, and we will be forever indebted to you and to Shin Makoku." Slowly, she closed her eyes and held Yuuri's hand to her chest. "Forgive us, Heika, for bringing such sadness to you and to the one that you treasure the most."

"The one… I treasure the most…" Yuuri reiterated quietly, his words in a silent whisper. With a poignant smile, he shook his head reassuringly at Caloria's leader, saying, "You have nothing to apologize for, Flurin-san. You're not the one at fault."

But then again, whose fault was it? Fate? Somehow, Yuuri found that highly unconvincing. After all, even if he was to put all the blame on destiny, that would be the only thing that he could do.

Meanwhile, Wolfram had led the human princess and her attendants to the farthest cabin in the ship, a very good distance away from Yuuri's. Pushing the door open, he said, "This will be your room. Your attendants can stay at the servant's quarters below." The room contained a single bed and was still acceptably spacious, but Bella's expression proved to be one of discontentment.

"I can't help but think that you deliberately chose the farthest room away from Yuuri's," she said, a frown marring her beautiful face.

Wolfram raised an elegant brow at her, the expression on his face conveying disbelief. "Of course it was deliberate," he said matter-of-factly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Did you think I'd let you have the room beside his? I don't care whether you're now his formal fiancée or not," he snapped heatedly, and whatever retort Bella was about to give died in her throat. "This ship belongs to us mazoku, and as such you are already in our territory. As a soldier of the twenty-seventh Maou, it is my duty to ensure his safety and protect him from everyone, regardless of who they might be." He bit out the last phrase with such intense hostility that Bella even took a subtle step back.

When the human princess did not respond, Wolfram found it fit for him to leave. He started to walk away, not even bothering to excuse himself, but stopped when Bella did speak.

"It seems," she said in her impossibly gentle voice, "that you truly love His Majesty." Wolfram did not respond to that; he did not have to. And Bella understood why. "Sadly though," she added, turning to face Wolfram's direction while the blond, on the other hand, kept his back against her. "He chose me."

Those three words were like invisible daggers that pierced painfully through his chest, and Wolfram had to fight to keep his composure. Conrad was right; he did not have to heed to this despicable woman's insults for that would make him appear feeble. Yes, the princess' words did hurt him, and it was true that Yuuri did choose her over him. But…

Remembering just how passionately Yuuri held him the past night was more than enough for Wolfram's heart to stop doubting. _Yuuri loved him. _Even if not as much as he did, Yuuri still felt the same about him, and that was a fact that no one could ever take away from him. Not even this wretched female taunting him with senseless lies.

Yuuri only chose to be engaged to her in exchange for Caloria's safety, and that was it. _So what if he chose you? So what if you're already engaged to him?_ Wolfram found himself thinking. _I don't care._

"True," he finally said, breaking the tense silence that ensued between them and the confidence that Bella seemed to have gained during that terse moment. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes dark and somewhat amused. "But if I were you," he muttered quietly, "I wouldn't be too pleased with myself." He let his words hang in the air for a moment before finally walking away, a content smile on his face.

He left on his wake a royally furious princess, who bellowed at her attendants to leave her alone and slammed the cabin door behind her. As Belal's daughter, she had never been treated so audaciously in her life, and yet a mere mazoku was now humiliating her so shamelessly as if it was the simplest thing do.

"Cursed demons," Bella hissed under her breath, her compassionate features replaced with one of utmost loathing. She then reached in front of her dress and pulled out a small purse, a malevolent smirk on her elegant lips. "I will make certain that you will all suffer especially you, dear Maou-heika, and your precious little blond." With an evil glint in her eyes, she pulled on the strings of the purse, letting its contents spill onto the palm of her hand, and bright scarlet dust seeped from the bag in the most sinister manner.

_Yes,_ Bella laughed darkly to herself, _they will suffer._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **Wolfram rules! XD Haha. I just _had_ to say that. He's been bullied quite a lot in the preceding chapters so it was about time that he had his say! DX And to think I was the one who wrote it that way – quite ironic, isn't it? XP I'm quite "looney" most of the time, just to be honest. Haha. And how come no one has told me about KKM Character Songs? I've lost half of my life for missing Wolfram's exquisite singing voice! DX I'm exaggerating, yes, but still! Mitsuki Saiga is definitely "love". Now I wish I was a guy, instead. XD

Anyway, thank you again for all of you who continue to read this story! Your reviews move me to tears, seriously. So please keep on reading and give a review or two if you may! I'll try to keep the pace up as best as I can. :)

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter Nine: Midnight Sun

**A/N:** Thank you, thank you, _thank you so much_ to those who read and reviewed the last chapter! T-T I never expected that this story would get such… passionate reviews. They were even more passionate than those that preceded them! I cried, bawled, wept, shed blood, whatever – your reviews not only moved _me _to tears, but my heart was also literally jumping in glee that I had to hold on to it! XD To those reviewers who were not signed in, and thus, I was not able to give a reply, please know that your reviews are equally appreciated. Thank you, thank you, thank you! T-T

To , believe it or not, your suggestion is almost – _almost_ – right on the mark. ;D

Enjoy reading!

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE**

The ship's whistle resounded loudly, signaling its departure. Slowly, it trudged forward, the waves splashing against it in rhythmic protest.

"Take care, Heika," Flurin said as she waved her goodbye. Beside her stood Gwendal and Yozak, the former with his usual scowl on his face and the latter with a jovial grin on his lips.

"You too, Flurin-san!" was Yuuri's reply amidst the sea's din, one of his arms raised as he waved back enthusiastically. "Gwendal!" he called out. "Make sure you come home as soon as you can! You too, Yozak!" he added. Yozak replied with a wide grin and a salute, while the first son merely scowled back at the young king and remained silent. Soon, however, Yuuri swore that he noticed Gwendal's lips curve into a smile, regardless of how forced and awkward that smile was.

He pointed this out to Conrad and the second son only chuckled. "With Gwendal on the job," he said, "you won't have to worry about Caloria anymore, Heika."

Yuuri nodded. "I suppose you're right. Besides," the most recent smile on his face dissipated into a small frown, "there are more important things that I need to worry about." He turned to Conrad when the other placed a hand on his shoulder, that impeccable smile drawn on the second son's lips.

"Why don't you go rest, Yuuri?" Conrad suggested. "It will be another long journey back to Shin Makoku. You deserve some rest." The young king meekly nodded at him in agreement, and Conrad ushered him towards the stairs leading to the lower decks. "Huber," he called out, glancing over his shoulder. "Could you send a message to Blood Pledge Castle that we are on our way back? With a," his lips curled into an uncertain smile, "rather important _guest_."

Geigen Huber curtly bowed, saying, "I will, Your Excellency." And he strode off to perform his task.

The young king descended the wooden steps with Conrad behind him, feeling more exhausted than he had ever been. He really did deserve some rest, Yuuri wondered absently. As they neared his room however, all other thoughts flew from his mind as his gaze fell on the lone figure of blond hair, green eyes and navy uniform, standing in front of his door.

Wolfram stood proudly with his arms crossed over his chest, an evident frown marring his perfect face and his fierce gaze boring into the wooden door. He turned when Yuuri and Conrad approached, and his eyes noticeably softened at the sight of his king.

Yuuri, on the other hand, looked as if he had seen the blond only for the first time. _What is he doing here?_ He thought. He had convinced himself that Wolfram would avoid him indefinitely after the incident that morning, and needless to say he was mightily appalled. Conrad lightly laughed at his expression.

"I'll leave you two behind," he said, a warm smile gracing his features. He walked past Yuuri and halted beside Wolfram, placing a hand on the blond's shoulder for a moment before proceeding on his way.

As Yuuri continued to gawk at him like a spineless fish, Wolfram said, "I was only checking if you're already—" At that moment, however, the young king roughly grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him into the room, slamming the door behind them. Before the blond could utter a single retort, Yuuri had already pulled him into his arms, and it was only at that moment that Wolfram noticed how violently the young king was trembling.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Yuuri chanted under his breath as he buried his face into Wolfram's hair, his voice breaking at the middle. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, Wolf…"

At the mention of his name, Wolfram gently pulled himself from Yuuri's chest and gazed at his face. He felt his heart break further at the tears that trailed down the young king's cheeks and at the regret that overflowed in his dark eyes. Smiling, he pressed his cheek against Yuuri's and whispered, "Hennachoko. I knew you were a wimp but I didn't know you were also a crybaby."

Yuuri held him tighter at that, asking him to stay, but Wolfram shook his head and pulled back. "I'm afraid that is not possible, _Heika,_" the blond said and Yuuri cringed at the painful twinge in his chest. "But," the young king looked expectantly at him, "I'll stand guard over your door to make sure that no _witch_ would be able to disturb your sleep." It was apparent that Yuuri did not understand his words as the young king blinked confusedly at him, but Wolfram only chuckled and pinched his cheek playfully. "Get to bed, you wimp."

Before Yuuri could react, Wolfram had already left, with the small thud of the door as it closed after him echoing in the now silent room.

For a few moments, the young king merely stood there, gazing at nothing in particular. He had felt relieved when Wolfram called him in that nickname that he had come to like, albeit unconsciously, but his chest felt heavier at the realization that Wolfram would not be able to call him that as liberally as he had before. With a sigh, Yuuri fell onto his bed, curling into a fetal position as he sobbed quietly. He loathed himself at how insensitive he had been to Wolfram before, and now he was paying that price dearly. Yes, his decisions had always benefited a lot of people at the expense of his own desires, but they had never pained him before as they had now.

_It hurts, _Yuuri thought to himself, _it hurts so much._ And with that, he fell into a restless slumber.

A few minutes later, the door creaked open and Wolfram quietly stepped inside, closing the door behind him in the same manner. Glancing at the bent figure of the young king, he frowned when he noticed that Yuuri had not covered himself with the blanket. Shaking his head in dismay, he approached the bed and pulled the blanket over the young king, but stopped when he noticed Yuuri's tear-stained cheeks. "Crybaby," he muttered softly as he kneeled beside the bed and gently wiped Yuuri's tears away. The young king instinctively leaned onto the warmth of his palm, and Wolfram could not help but smile. He brushed away the dark locks that obscured Yuuri's face, whispering, "Really… what will I do without you, Yuuri?"

As Wolfram continued to gaze lovingly at his king, he failed to notice the door as it opened slightly, along with the contemptuous amethyst eyes that watched them darkly from the small gap.

* * *

"Yuuri!" was Greta's overly enthusiastic greeting as she ran into the outstretched arms of the young king. "Welcome home, Yuuri!"

Her adoptive father embraced her tighter as a reply. "I'm home, Greta," said Yuuri. He pulled back and held her shoulders. "You didn't need to come here to greet me," he chided, pertaining to how Greta had persuaded Gunter to take her to the docks to see him. "You could have just waited at the castle."

Greta shook her head at him, a cute pout on her small lips. "I wanted to see you, Yuuri. Besides," her almond eyes gazed into Yuuri's seemingly troubled ones, "Greta felt that I _had_ to see you and hug you like this." She then threw her arms around Yuuri's neck for the second time, embracing him affectionately. The young king's expression softened at this. Somehow, even Greta felt the predicament that her father was in.

"Greta had missed your company greatly, Your Majesty," Gunter remarked as he approached the young king. "I only deemed it appropriate that she would be the one to first greet you on your arrival."

Yuuri grinned and stared up at Gunter, an apprehensive expression on his face. He had assumed Gunter to be the first one to greet him with his _exceptional_ comportment, and as Gunter's eyes filled with that overly familiar glimmer of reverence, he soon found that he was indeed correct on that particular assumption.

The young king struggled for breath under the suffocating hold of his advisor, mumbling out hoarse pleas that eventually went unheard by the overly emotional Gunter.

"No being could ever measure the loneliness I have felt in your absence, My Majesty," Gunter bawled, pressing Yuuri impossibly tighter to him that the young king already appeared as if he would die of suffocation at any second. "Those two days have bred pure agony on my poor soul, and my spirit was crying to the Original King as to why, oh why, did you have to—"

"Gunter!" was Wolfram's enraged cry as he attempted to snatch the already hyperventilating wimp from the man's clutches. Even though he had no right to act in a similar manner with the atrocious human princess, he at least had the privilege and obligation to keep the Maou alive as opposed to what the king's advisor was recently doing, albeit unintentionally. He wanted to say "He's not yours!" in retort, but that would only prove unfavorable to him as well seeing as Yuuri also did not belong to him – at least, not anymore. So instead, he said, "You're killing him!"

Gunter looked back at him incredulously. "Wolfram," he started haughtily, "what, in Shinou's name, are you insinuating? I most definitely am not—" His words were cut short again however, when his gaze fell on the unfamiliar woman who had descended from the ship, a number of female attendants following behind her.

Yuuri, who had already recovered from his near-death experience, noticed this and followed Gunter's gaze. "Bella-san," the young king muttered, albeit a bit timidly.

"Bella?" the advisor reiterated as his own amethyst eyes narrowed at the newcomer. "Is she…?"

"She is, indeed," Conrad answered as he appeared behind Gunter, a pensive look on his face. "I believe her identity had been included in the letter that Huber had sent you."

At that piece of information, Gunter's hostility became evident. "I see," he muttered quietly as he approached the human princess. "Your Highness," he pronounced the words with the utmost reluctance, "as the twenty-seventh Maou's royal advisor, I welcome you to Shin Makoku on behalf of the royal entourage."

"Please," Bella said, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she strode to Yuuri and linked her arm with his. "There is no need for such formalities. Call me Bella, if you may."

"Oh, but it is indeed necessary, _Your Highness_," was Gunter's quiet reply, his last phrase teeming with unmasked sarcasm. "Seeing as you are now the Maou's honored _fiancée_, it is but appropriate to address you as such." He was completely aware of Wolfram who was seething with paramount animosity beside the newly engaged couple. Fortunately, the young mazoku appeared to be capable of retaining his composure, which Gunter found to be peculiarly surprising.

Under the present circumstances, Gunter had expected Wolfram to act as impulsive and egotistical as what was typical of him. It was still a mystery to him as to why the blond had even allowed this situation to occur, when he most definitely would have prevented the engagement instead. But of course, the Maou's decisions were of utmost priority that not even his former fiancé's disapproval could prove imperative, and in Caloria's case, the young king would have chosen the town's freedom above anything else.

Still, did his engagement to the third son truly did not bear even the slightest significance to the young king? Somehow, Gunter found that disproving. Despite his histrionic tendencies towards the young king, he was not as dense as to not notice Yuuri's implicit affection for the blond. He was even aware of that sensuous moment that ensued between the two lads, regardless of how he had reacted in reference to it. And unquestionably, Wolfram's feelings for the Maou were nothing but distinctive. Hence, Gunter could not comprehend the reasons as to why they had even allowed their engagement to end, though he would willingly wager his life to attest that the young woman presently clinging to their king was but one of that reasons.

"Fiancée?" asked Greta as her gaze wandered from Bella to Wolfram, apparently confused. "But Yuuri is Wolfram's—"

"I'm afraid that is no longer the case, Greta," Wolfram interrupted gently as he knelt before the child and held her hands. At that moment, he was already on the verge of losing his composure, and he could barely restrain his own hands from trembling as he held Greta's. It was one thing to let himself suffer from his own irrational resolution, but it was an entirely different issue to burden an innocent child. "So for now," he said, his voice noticeably strained, "you'll have to ride with me."

Greta grew more confused at this and she turned to Yuuri instead. "Yuuri, why can't I ride Ao with you?" she asked, and Yuuri found it extremely difficult to answer her for he, himself, was in the very same predicament that Wolfram was in.

"Well, Greta, you see…"

"That's because our _guest_ is going to ride with him." Wolfram was the one who answered her instead. His gaze settled darkly on the princess, who even had the decency to appear amazed by this information. "Isn't that right, Heika?"

The child, however, was not appeased by his answer. "Heika?" she said, tugging at Wolfram's sleeve. "But Wolfram doesn't call Yuuri that," Greta pointed out, to which Wolfram glanced back at her with such pained emerald eyes. "Why are you calling him that, Wolfram? You never called him that." Greta's voice was on the point of breaking, and she was looking at both Yuuri and Wolfram with an almost frantic expression on her face. "And why does Yuuri have another fiancée? You're his fiancé, aren't you, Wolfram? What's going on, Yuuri?"

At that moment, both Wolfram and Yuuri wished for nothing else than to hold the little girl tightly in their arms. Before they could do so, however, Bella had gently pulled Greta to her and said, "Greta, you're a big girl now, aren't you? So you'll have to understand that from now on, things would not be the same as before. From now on, you and Yuuri will be with me and—" She gasped when a hand abruptly covered her mouth, preventing her from speaking any further. The hand belonged to none other than Wolfram, whose present demeanor screamed of cold rage.

"Say one more word to _our_ daughter and I'll burn you alive."

"Wolfram!" said Yuuri as he pulled the murderous blond away from the human princess as Conrad did the same with Bella. He knew how Wolfram felt – no, wait. Perhaps he did not. No one could ever understand what the blond might have been feeling at that very moment, not even him, but he could not just let Wolfram commence a cold-blooded homicide regardless of the reason. "Please forgive him, Bella-san. But," his own eyes flashed with the slightest contempt as he stared at Bella, "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't talk to Greta that way. She is _our _daughter, and I think am right in saying that we should be the one explaining the situation to her. So, please... let us do that on our own." Wolfram seemed to calm down at his words, and Yuuri released his hold on him.

A tense moment of silence ensued between them before Bella nodded weakly and apologized. "I'm sorry, Greta," she said. She then held the child's hand in her own and asked, "But wouldn't you want to ride with me and Yuuri?"

Greta looked back at her with uncertainty swimming in her great almond orbs, but she nonetheless nodded. "I want to ride with Yuuri," she said, gazing up at her adoptive father. Yuuri smiled gently at her.

"Well then," said Gunter as he motioned for the soldiers to bring the horses nearer, "we would best be on our way." He sent a furtive glance to Wolfram, who had fallen forebodingly silent after his momentary loss of self-possession, then to Conrad, who had the same concerned expression that he had. The second son nodded in reassurance at him before approaching the silent blond.

"Wolfram," Conrad said as he placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. Wolfram immediately slapped his hand off, however, and strode heavily towards his own horse, throwing a harsh "I'm fine" as a reply. Conrad watched as the blond mounted his white steed, his quiet demeanor no less incensed than earlier. He then turned to Yuuri, saying, "Saa, Heika. The people in Shin Makoku are waiting for your safe return. It would be best not to worry them any further."

"But, Conrad…" was Yuuri's reply as he, too, gazed at Wolfram with unhidden concern.

Conrad smiled at this. "Don't worry about Wolfram, Heika," he said. "As far as I know, he is much stronger than how people see of him." Beside Yuuri, Conrad noticed Bella's lips curl into the slightest of frowns and inwardly, he smirked. "Now, then," he added as he helped Greta onto Ao. Bella followed her, mounting the dark steed in the manner most appropriate for a lady, before Conrad finally helped Yuuri onto the horse as well. He then reached for the horse's reigns and gave them to Yuuri, who now had to put his arms around Bella to hold the lash. The overall picture proved somewhat disagreeable for both Conrad and Gunter, but they kept their sentiments to themselves as they finally proceeded towards Shin Makoku.

Wolfram noticed this, of course, and he deliberately placed himself at the front of the procession to prevent himself from further witnessing that repulsive sight. Yuuri was aware of this as well, and he was about to signal Ao to catch up with the blond just so he could reassure him, if not for the human princess presently staring at him with an accusatory expression on her faultless face.

"Bella-san," Yuuri muttered with uncertainty. "Is there something wrong?"

Bella did not answer him for a moment. "Yuuri," she finally said, and the young king did not fail to notice the pained way with which she had pronounced his name. "I know how important_ he_ is to you." By "he", Yuuri understood that she had meant Wolfram.

"Bella-san, I—"

"But I hope you have not forgotten that you have agreed to my Father's terms, and that you are now engaged to me and not to him," Bella stated. Then, she turned her back against Yuuri, secretly reaching inside the front of her dress. When she turned back to the young king, she said, "I hope you would take our engagement seriously, because I do."

Yuuri remained silent as he simply bit his lip and nodded in reply. "I… I'll try…"

At that, the human princess smiled peculiarly at him, then held out her hand in front of Yuuri's face and _blew_.

"Heika? What's wrong?" Gunter asked as Yuuri suddenly pulled Ao into a halt. The young king merely blinked back at him and shook his head.

"W-What?" stuttered Yuuri as he glanced uncertainly at the princess in front of him. "What was that?" he asked.

"What is it, Yuuri?" Conrad asked apprehensively as he came beside the young king. At the front of the line, Wolfram had also glanced back at them albeit reluctantly, a contemptuous expression marring his perfect features.

Yuuri's gaze wandered from the questioning look on Greta's face then to the bizarre smile on Bella's. "What was what, Yuuri?" the princess asked in turn as she gazed innocently back at him.

"You… there was something in your hand and—"

"Something in my hand?" said Bella as her innocent smile faded into a baffled frown. "There's nothing in my hand," she said and held out her hand for emphasis and the young king frowned in confusion. There truly was nothing there. Yuuri could have sworn, however, that he saw something red and seemingly fluid on Bella's palm earlier. Odd, he thought. Was he seeing things now?

Conrad, however, frowned evidently at this. He had that uncanny feeling that something did indeed happen. Yuuri was not one to react without a reason. "May I see your hands, Miss Bella?"

The princess looked appalled at his request, but she nonetheless relented. Bella held her hands out and Conrad inspected them. To his dismay, he found nothing peculiar in his inspection, except for how flushed the princess' palms had seemed to be. "There's nothing there, Heika," he said to Yuuri, to which the young king weakly nodded.

Gunter, however, approached them and asked, "Do you feel any different, Your Majesty?" The young king shook his head though.

"Maybe I'm just seeing things," Yuuri suggested. "Still tired, I guess." He then let out a feeble laugh and apologized to Bella, who reassured him saying that it was all right. With that, they continued their journey towards Shin Makoku.

Wolfram, however, had slowed his pace down and was now riding beside the young king. He noticed the confused expression on Yuuri's face but other than that, nothing else seemed to be out of the ordinary. Although somehow, Wolfram observed, the young king had gone paler than what was normal.

The blond scowled. His gaze fell on the princess who supposedly had her back against him due to the manner that she sat on Ao. He was surprised, however, when his emerald eyes locked into amethyst ones, a malicious smirk painting the young woman's face. But before Wolfram could react, the smirk had already vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, and he was now left staring at the human's backside.

_She is definitely up to something_, Wolfram thought as he inwardly fumed and kept his eyes on the scheming witch. Regardless of evidence, he was certain that Belal's daughter possessed ill intentions and Wolfram could feel a vague sensation of dread settle in his gut at how those ill intents were most likely directed at Yuuri.

He was not able to dwell on his thoughts further however, for they had already arrived at Shin Makoku.

After the brief procession through the town, to which the citizens enthusiastically welcomed their king as well as threw confused expressions at the human princess with them, they finally reached Blood Pledge Castle.

"Anissina!" Greta called out excitedly as they passed through the castle gates. There on the front steps stood Anissina and Cecilie, both of them waving a hand in greeting.

At the sight of his mother, Wolfram felt a vaguely familiar feeling course through his chest, and he pulled his ivory stag to a halt in front of Cecilie. "Mother," he said as he dismounted from his horse. Cecilie gave him a very warm look and reached a hand towards his cheek, patting it affectionately. Then she turned her attention to the Maou.

"Welcome back, Yuuri-heika," she greeted as she gave Yuuri a quick, tight embrace.

Yuuri blushed as usual and gave a weak "I'm home" as a reply, before he proceeded to scold Greta lightly for jumping down from Ao while they were still moving. The child apologized and gave him a hug in turn, before running to Anissina with an apparent air of uncertainty around her. Yuuri frowned, before turning his attention back to Cecilie, who was now engaged in a conversation with Bella.

"And you must be Lady Bella," said Cecilie as her own emerald gaze appraised the young woman in front of her. "As the predecessor of the twenty-seventh Maou, I welcome to Shin Makoku."

"A pleasure to be of your acquaintance, Lady von Spitzberg," was Bella's reply. "Please, you can call me Bella."

Cecilie's perfect lips curled into a tentative smile as she said, "Cheri would be fine for me as well." The princess nodded in consent and smiled amiably, to which the former queen gave an enigmatic look at Yuuri. "Well then, Heika," Cecilia continued in her classically animated demeanor. "We have prepared a feast for you and our honored guest. Gunter, why don't you escort His Majesty and the princess to the dinner hall?"

Gunter nodded and ushered Yuuri and Bella towards the castle, Anissina and Greta following behind them. Conrad had excused himself to attend to the soldiers, and Wolfram was left behind with Cecilie.

"Wolfram," the former queen said as she held her perfectly manicured hand out towards her youngest son. "There is somewhere that I would like to go, just for a moment. Come with me?"

Confused, Wolfram frowned at her. "Aren't we following after His Majesty and the others?"

Cecilie subtly cringed at how her son had addressed the Maou as "His Majesty" instead of "Yuuri". Her eyes softened in maternal love as she said, "Oh, we will. But there is something that I wanted to show you." She smiled genially at Wolfram, a knowing look on her faultless face. "Shall we, then?" Without a word, Wolfram took her hand and let his mother lead him to wherever it was that she wanted to go.

As they walked away from the front steps, Wolfram failed to notice it as Yuuri glanced back at their retreating figures, a confused and worried expression on his face.

"Where are we headed, Mother?" Wolfram asked as he walked beside Cecilie, his hand still intertwined with hers. They were presently by the castle gardens, and Wolfram had assumed that it was the place that his mother had wanted to visit. It was a well-known fact that the twenty-sixth Maou marveled in her talent to cross-breed various species of flora and create new genii from them. Cecilie, however, continued to lead him past the common flowerbeds, until they had reached a rather secluded part of the garden. "Mother," he tried again, "where are we…?" His voice trailed off when they reached an unfamiliar flowerbed, and Wolfram's emerald orbs widened in utmost amazement.

There on the flowerbed were clusters of purely black, midnight flowers, their majestic elegance sparkling under the brilliance of the mid-morning sun. Each flower stood high and proud, and abounded in omnipotence as that of the revered Maou that they unambiguously symbolized. Wolfram felt his breath hitch in the impeccable beauty in front of him and slowly, he knelt beside the flower patch, reaching a trembling hand towards one. His heart further leapt when he noticed another breed of flowers intertwined with the dark beauties.

"Mother, this is…" the blond muttered in admiration as he picked a sun-kissed, golden flower from beneath the midnight ones. The honey-gold flora seemed to be smiling at him, having been held by the individual whom they were named after.

Cecilie knelt down beside him and held his face between her hands, her verdant eyes overflowing with the most passionate emotion Wolfram had ever seen in them. "Wolfram," she said. "I know this is all very difficult for you, but please," she took one of her hands and placed it over Wolfram's chest, "do not ever lose hope and give up on the person that you have treasured for so long."

It took a moment for Wolfram to answer her and when he spoke, it was with such a pained emotion that Cecilie felt her own heart break.

"That's impossible, Mother," he said. "I will _never_ give up on _Yuuri_." And he smiled despite the hurt. A genuine, unprejudiced and promising smile… and Cecilie smiled back at him in turn. Her son truly loved the Maou so much.

"Then promise me this, Wolf," she bent towards the patch and picked one from the midnight flowers, "that no matter the circumstances, you would always love your treasured person, but you also would not deliberately let yourself be hurt in the process." She gave the flower to Wolfram, who gasped in awe when he saw that a gold flower was intertwined with the black one. "No one could stop you from loving him, but that doesn't mean that you have to be a martyr for him." She held Wolfram's cheek again and added, "Love him in silence, Wolf. Love him from afar and in your own subtle way, because in that manner, even if you're apart, _nothing will ever change_."

At that, a single tear fell from Wolfram's eyes and he nodded, leaning into the comfort of his mother's warmth as he held the flowers and their meaning deep within his heart.

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**A/N:** Finished it in time! Again! (does a victory dance) XD Haha. I'm actually amazed at myself for being able to keep the pace up. I guess that just shows how much I love you guys that I will really try my best to finish a chapter in time. ;D

So… I think this chapter is a little lighter than the preceding ones. Correct me if I'm wrong, though. To do that, you most definitely have to review! XD I exceeded eight pages again so I'm a bit anxious right now. So don't you guys forget to review, all right?

Thank you so much for reading!


	11. Chapter Ten: Finding Evidence

**A/N:** More than a hundred reviews… (Is flabbergasted) Do tell me if I'm simply dreaming or not, because this is just too good to be true. XD Thank you, thank you, _thank you so much_! I will never get tired of thanking you all. You don't know just how happy you've all made me. T-T

Now, I want to apologize if Bella seems rather "overly characterized" or if the plot is brimming with too much angst. I'll try my best and work on those, so I hope you'll still bear with my amateurism. Thank you so much to those who had given me such nice criticisms! (um, contradictory? XD) They really help me grow. I truly hope this chapter is less disappointing. :)

Enjoy reading!

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**CHAPTER TEN**

There were moments that life seemed so ironic that it was already hilarious.

Before, Yuuri had wished of having a classic teenage love life with a nice young lady and probably have a decent family with her in the future. Then his life changed drastically one day and instead, he got engaged to the prettiest boy he had ever laid eyes on. At the beginning he still wished desperately to be coupled with a female because who, in their right and straight heterosexual mind, would even want to be engaged to a person of the same sex? At least, that had been his fallible reasoning. Never had he thought of falling head over heels for the exact same guy that he had tried to reject over and over again.

And now, just when he had decided for himself that he would love a boy for all he was worth, his original wish was granted and he was now engaged to a very nice young lady. He would have been overjoyed, grateful even, if not for the fact that he could never bring himself to love anyone else as much as he loved Wolfram now.

Yuuri let out a heavy sigh as he leaned on the window and looked down at the courtyard from his office. Below, Greta was playing with Bella, and anyone would think that it was the appropriate picture that the royal family should be. The king needed a queen after all, not another king, and Yuuri would have agreed to that premise if the circumstances were different. Because no matter how perfect the sight might appear to others, Yuuri could never erase the fact that it should have been Wolfram down there, playing with their daughter, and not anybody else.

Another sigh escaped his lips and he leaned his forehead wearily against the cool glass. It had been exactly three days since they had returned from their eventful escapade, and yet he had not been able to have a decent conversion with Wolfram even just once. Yuuri knew he should have expected it – no, he _did _anticipate it. But expecting something and experiencing it in reality were two completely different things.

Recently, he only had the chance to talk to Wolfram during breakfast, and even that was a curt, tight-lipped conversation. It was apparent by the way that Wolfram still communicated normally with everyone else that he was avoiding Yuuri, and the young king knew of this perfectly. Of course, now that Yuuri was engaged to a different person, the blond did not have the privilege to treat him in the same manner as he had before, and Yuuri also understood this fact full well.

But was it wrong to wish that somehow Wolfram would still act the same way towards him, regardless of the situation?

_Heika_, Wolfram had called him. And as much as it pained Yuuri to admit, the change in how the blond had addressed him was a definite indication that despite the momentary outbursts on Wolfram's part, the truth was that things will never be the same for them anymore. Yuuri could only hope that beneath the pretense of avoiding him, the blond still did value him as how he had before, because Yuuri knew that he would never be able to cope with the idea of Wolfram falling out of love with him, much less with its reality.

Again, he let out another burdened sigh before literally jumping three feet into the air when someone suddenly grabbed hold of his shoulder.

"Did I really surprise you that much, Shibuya?"

The young king blinked as he wrestled with his thumping heart, trying to calm it down. He turned and came face to face with none other than Murata, that typical goofy, Murata Ken smile on his face. "Murata!" he gasped. "Don't you dare do that again; you'll give me a heart attack!" Yuuri shouted as he gripped his chest in fear of actually having an attack.

Murata simply laughed at him and apologized, before saying, "I've been here for the past five minutes, Shibuya, and I've been calling you for the tenth time already but you would not even answer me." The Great Sage feigned a drastic sigh as he wagged his index finger at the young king. "I leave you for a few days and you already get yourself engaged with a beautiful young lady? That's really unfair of you, Shibuya!"

At that, Yuuri regained his composure and scowled at Murata. "It's not like I wanted it to happen," he snapped, his voice laced with hurt and guilt.

The expression on Murata's features was also replaced with seriousness as he stopped his childish dilly-dallying. With his lips in a trim line of composure, he approached the window and stood beside the young king, his own dark eyes reflected on the immaculate pane. "I have heard of everything from Sir Weller," he said quietly and Yuuri remained silent. The young king's eyes widened however, when Murata added, "_Everything_, Shibuya."

Yuuri understood that Murata meant that Conrad had told him of the complete story, including the events that had ensued between him and Wolfram. As he stared at the calm demeanor of the Great Sage, however, he found that he did not really mind. This was Murata, after all.

Leaning back against the window, Yuuri said, "It's not like no one had expected this to happen. It was all just an accident, anyway—"

"You know that's a lie, Shibuya," said Murata as he stared back at Yuuri with firmness in his eyes. "Everything happens for a reason, and you already know of that very well. If it's just an accident then why have you felt that way for him ever since the beginning? Trust me, Shibuya," he quickly added when Yuuri appeared to retort, "You have. Since that day I met Sir von Bielefeld and saw you with him, I already knew. It's quite a shame that you had to realize it this late." Yuuri gaped back at him with wide eyes and accusation written all over his face. "I know I should have told you, but what meaning would it have unless you realized it for yourself?"

Silence reigned between the two of them before Yuuri's face broke into a grin and he chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. Truly, did Murata know of everything? He brought his arms behind his head and stared at the dark ceiling above. "A reason, huh?" Yuuri muttered, his mind wandering back to the vision the Original King had imposed on them. "Then Shinou should have a good enough reason for this or else…"

"Or else what, Shibuya?" prodded Murata as his lips formed into that ever typical grin.

"Or else I'll have you give him a good scolding," the young king finished with a similarly playful grin on his lips.

Murata chuckled. "Why don't you do that yourself? You have every right to do so, anyway." Yuuri simply smiled back at him. "Then," he fixed his spectacles in place, "what do you intend to do now?"

As expected, the young king sighed again and merely shook his head at him, mouthing the words "No idea". Of course, with how the situation was as of the present, there truly was nothing for them to do. The wedding between the Maou and the human princess was still under strict discussion, particularly the day that it would take place on, and as such there were still no definite plans that had been made. And believe him; Yuuri would have preferred that no plan would ever be made, if he was given the choice.

"You do know that Belal might be planning something else behind this supposed engagement, don't you?" Murata asked.

Yuuri nodded grimly at him. "Of course, I do. There's no way that he simply wanted his daughter to marry me. But, how do I put this," he tapped a finger against his furrowed forehead, "we were cornered?" He shrugged. "None of us ever expected things to turn out as they did, not even Gwendal. Looking back now, the result would have been different if you had been there, you know." He pointed accusingly at Murata. Then a sudden thought came to him. "Now that I think about it, where _have_ you been, Murata?" If he remembered correctly, the sage had left for some unknown place three days before their journey to Caloria. Yuuri was certain that Murata had not left this world because he would know if that had been the case.

Murata turned away from him as he answered, "I just… went somewhere for a bit, that's all." His spectacles flashed ominously as he kept his back against Yuuri.

Before the young king could question him further though, there came a curt knock on the door. At Yuuri's permission, Conrad entered the room along with Gwendal and Gunter.

"Gwendal!" exclaimed Yuuri enthusiastically as he approached the first son. "Welcome back. When did you arrive?"

"A moment ago," was Gwendal's answer. He gave a curt greeting to the Great Sage and said, "Belal has indeed acceded to our terms. Caloria has been released indefinitely from his domination." Relief and gladness filled Yuuri's expression as he let out a passionate "Yes!" at this information. "However," he said and Yuuri's smile immediately turned into a frown, "there is still the matter of your engagement with Big Shimaron's princess. I find it disbelieving that a marriage is all that Belal desires of."

Yuuri sighed yet again – he was honestly getting tired from sighing so much, to tell the truth. "We know. Murata and I were just talking about it. And I know what you're going to say," he added at Gwendal's questioning look, and the man remained silent instead. "Bella-san is… well… she seems nice." He wanted to hit himself for the lack of a better explanation. "What I'm trying to say is," he continued, "I know you're all wary of her. I am, too, but she doesn't seem to be planning something evil and all. It's kind of hard to explain." He chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head, and evidently jerked when Gunter let out a protest.

"Heika!" the man reprimanded. "I would suggest that you not believe in that woman so willingly. For all we know, it might all simply be a pretense to earn your trust," Gunter stated with such animosity that Yuuri felt like cowering under his gaze.

"Lord von Christ is right, Shibuya," Murata affirmed and Yuuri looked back at him with a silent "Not you, too," written on his face.

Conrad came up beside him and said, "I'm sure His Majesty is aware of that possibility. Aren't you, Heika?"

"It's Yuuri, Conrad," the young king replied and the second son merely smiled in turn. "But yeah, I know that's highly possible. But right now, I think there would be no harm in being friendly with her," Yuuri suggested and immediately regretted doing so as Gwendal practically glowered back at him.

"As I've said before, you are too soft and reckless for a king," the first son declared and Yuuri winced at the sheer coldness of his voice. "You need to plan ahead in the instance that Belal and his daughter truly are scheming something. A second failure would not be considered as acceptable, Maou-heika," he said, his indigo eyes flashing darkly with restrained fury. "I have no intentions of committing that same mistake again and letting that treacherous human make a fool out of our race. The sacrifice had been too great," he added and Yuuri did not fail to understand the meaning behind his words.

The young king stared back at Gwendal with equal determination swimming in those midnight orbs and gave a short, firm nod. Indeed, the sacrifice had been too great, and Yuuri would do anything to prevent that from happening again.

At that point, the door to the king's office swung open and Greta entered with a basket of flowers in her arms, Bella following behind her.

"Yuuri, look at the flowers that Bella picked for—Gwendal!" the child said as she ran to the first son. "Welcome home!" she greeted, enthusiasm swimming in those bright almond eyes of hers. Gwendal smiled – to which Yuuri gasped idiotically – and knelt down to ruffle Greta's hair affectionately with a soft remark of "I'm home." Greta grinned widely and handed him a flower from her bouquet, before skipping towards her adoptive father. Conrad and Gunter laughed softly at this before they fell silent at Gwendal's stern gaze.

"What is it, Greta?" Yuuri asked as his daughter looked up at him in that very familiar manner that she did when she wanted something.

"Well, you see," muttered Greta as she fumbled with her fingers. Then she smiled brightly and said, "Bella said she hadn't been to the town yet since she arrived here, and Greta thought that it would be great if I could show her around. So I was wondering, would you come with me and show her around town, Yuuri?" The child finished with a radiant smile painting her face and Yuuri blinked stupidly back at her.

"You… you want me to come?" the young king asked in turn and Greta nodded hopefully at him. "But, I…" He glanced at the young lady behind Greta then at his vassals, silently asking for their advice. Not even a minute ago were they discussing about whether to trust the princess or not, and now Greta was asking him to accompany her to the town. How ironic was that?

Murata cleared his throat and said, "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with that, Shibuya. After all, it wouldn't be nice to keep a lady, more so your fiancée, confined inside a castle for so long. Where are your manners, Shibuya?" At his suggestion, Gunter let out a strained cry of protest and both Gwendal and Yuuri evidently scowled at him. What happened with being careful around Bella?

"Oh my," Bella suddenly muttered and all eyes turned to her. "You are the Great Sage, aren't you?" she asked as she stared at Murata with unhidden awe. "Please forgive my rudeness for not greeting you. I am Bella, the sole daughter of King Belal of Big Shimaron. It is an honor for this mere human to be in your presence," she said with a gracious bow. The other people in the room gave her skeptical looks while Murata simply gave his distinctive smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, as well. Please, you don't need to be so formal." He chuckled and Yuuri frowned further as he pointed at the blush tinting Murata's cheeks.

Bella shook her head politely and said, "In comparison to the revered demon race, this human is of humble awe for being in the midst of such powerful creatures. I am truly honored to be here." An innocent smile graced her features as she approached Yuuri and held his hand. "But of course, having been engaged to the Maou was the greatest honor that I could ever receive."

There was an indistinct crash outside the room which the king's vassals and the sage did not fail to notice. Yuuri, however, was caught up in trying to get Bella to release her hold on him, albeit subtly.

"Very well, then," said Murata all of a sudden as his spectacles glinted enigmatically. "It wouldn't be so nice to let the young ladies wait, Shibuya. Why don't you go on ahead?" he proposed and Conrad sent a furtive, knowing glance at him. Murata smiled; it was a wonder how Sir Weller had always been able to comprehend his supposedly complicated way of thinking.

"Fine, then," the young king grumbled as he kept his eyes narrowed at Murata. Really, there were moments that he simply could not understand Murata even though he considered him to be his best friend. The Sage's mind was like an infinite riddle with no evident hint – the more you tried to solve it, the more impossible it is for you to achieve anything.

"Shall I accompany you, Heika?"

"I told you not to use formalities with me, Conrad," Yuuri pouted. "But yeah, I guess it would be better if you d—" He paused when a sudden idea came to him. "How about Wolfram? He's a soldier, too, isn't he? He can come with us, instead!" he said eagerly despite the obvious frown that suddenly marred Bella's face.

"You really are tactless sometimes, Shibuya," Murata grunted as he shook his head in exasperation. Beside him, Gwendal was rubbing his temple in his usual gesture. Gunter, on the other hand, could not care less for the young king's apparent lack of tact as he was more concerned of His Majesty going on a date with the enemy.

"I'm afraid that," Conrad started and Yuuri's eagerness wavered a bit, "Wolfram is currently on patrol duty, and as such, he would not be able to accompany you." He spoke rather loudly, though Yuuri did not seem to notice this. His lips curved into a sad smile, however, when the young king's grin dissipated into a forced smile.

"Oh," was Yuuri's dejected remark before he hurriedly turned to Bella. "It's not that I don't want to go with you, Bella-san. It's just that… well…"

"I understand," Bella said and Yuuri found himself gawking at her impossibly gentle smile. "I'm sure it would have been a lot more fun with Sir von Bielefeld with us. Isn't that right, Greta?" she asked and Greta beamed back at her.

"Greta hadn't played with Wolfram for a while now, so I want him to come, too. Just like you, Yuuri," the child said and Yuuri smiled at her amiably.

"Next time, we'll make him come, all right, Greta?" Yuuri winked and did a "thumbs up" at his daughter, who mimed the gesture and gave a sweet giggle. In a short period of time, it was noticeable how Greta had taken a liking to the princess, perhaps that was because they were both humans, even though Yuuri could not decide whether that was a good thing or not. He must have only been anxious that Greta would somehow choose Bella over Wolfram when the time comes, just as he did. If that happened, it would certainly deal so much pain to the blond that Yuuri would never be able to forgive himself. Fortunately, it appears that he had been mistaken, and he embraced his daughter tightly in relief. "Let's go then, Conrad—"

"Why don't you go on your own, Shibuya? Just the three of you," said Murata, to which Gunter truly did protest.

"Your Highness, forgive me but that is most unacceptable! We cannot leave the Maou alone with just this—"

"I'm not saying that he would go completely unescorted, Lord von Christ," Murata interrupted and Gunter fell short of his complaint. "I'm simply suggesting that it would be more comfortable if the three of them would be able to spend their time alone. Of course, there would always be a unit dispatched to follow and watch over them as always. Right, Lord von Voltaire?" he asked and Gwendal gave him a brief nod in turn. The first son called out and one of the soldiers, who stood guard outside the room, came in, and Gwendal gave him his orders to form a unit that will escort that Maou. As the soldier left to perform his task, Murata continued. "Besides, it's not like Shibuya can't protect himself when something does happen," the sage added as he gave a bizarre smile at Bella's direction, to which the princess' mouth formed into a terse line.

"But…"

"Gunter," Conrad said as he gave the advisor a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You should learn to trust His Majesty a bit more."

"He's right, Gunter," Yuuri said as he gave his advisor a hearty grin. "We're just going to town, so there's really no need to worry. Saa…" He gestured to both Bella and Greta, saying, "Let's go, or else it would be dark already. And Greta's not allowed to be outside too late." He ushered the two of them towards the door.

"Yuuri, too," Greta chirped back at him and Yuuri gave a small laugh.

"That's right. Me, too," he replied before they exited the room altogether. The moment the door had closed after them, Gunter resumed his dramatic objections.

"Your Highness," the man cried. "Please tell us _why_ you have permitted His Majesty to accompany that… that… woman. It would be a disaster if she were to pull something against the Maou and no one is there to protect him!" he wailed and Murata chuckled nervously at him. The king's advisor truly had the tendencies to overreact when it came to the Maou, though Murata understood that he presently had the right reason to do so.

He held his hands in a gesture of defeat as he tried to appease the overly anxious advisor. "Calm down, Lord von Christ. Of course, I have a good reason as to why I let Shibuya go," he said and finally, Gunter seemed able to compose himself with this information. "I simply wanted to gain the princess' trust as well, in the instance that she and her father truly are plotting something against us. That way, it would be easier for us to know what their plans are and stop them when the time comes," he explained. "Shibuya is an extraordinarily kind person, and you all know of that. I won't be surprised if he is somehow able to persuade the princess into changing her motives, whatever those may be." He finished his explanation and Gunter evidently sighed in relief, although the advisor still appeared mightily apprehensive.

"As expected of you, Your Highness," Conrad remarked with a knowing expression on his face. "I was certain that you had something in mind when you made your suggestion."

Murata smirked at him. "You're being too good in reading me, Sir Weller. But that aside, do we even have the littlest bit of evidence to assume that Belal's daughter is indeed hiding something under her sleeves?"

It was Gwendal's turn to answer. "It is highly possible that this engagement that Belal had conducted served as a mere passport for his daughter to be able to enter Shin Makoku."

"Like an inside accomplice?"

Gwendal nodded. "It would make it easier for him to commence whatever he is planning when he has help from the inside, and there is no other possible candidate for that besides his daughter."

"So you're saying," Murata muttered as he rested his chin on his thumb and forefinger, "that Belal is only using his daughter?"

"I don't think it's simply that, Your Highness," said Gunter as he explained the incident concerning His Majesty and the princess, which had happened on their way back from the docks on the morning of their return from Caloria. It was evident how Murata's brows furrowed at this information. "I don't think that His Majesty could have been lying at that moment."

Murata shook his head, saying, "No, he wasn't. Shibuya's not a good liar." He mused for a moment before asking, "Did you say that the palm of her hands appeared flushed?" The frown on his lips deepened when both Gunter and Conrad nodded. Could it be that…?

"That's because that witch really is planning something." The door abruptly burst open and they all turned to see Wolfram enter the room, his lips set in a stern scowl.

"Wolfram, you were supposedly on patrol. But never mind that," Gunter pointed at the object in the blond's left hand, "what are you holding?" The "object" greatly appeared to be a dismantled arm of a suit of armor, to which the four of them stared at it incredulously.

Wolfram gave it a small glance. "Oh, this?" he muttered nonchalantly before he threw the arm away in much the same manner, barely missing an antique vase. "That's nothing."

"Nothing?" exclaimed Gunter. "What were you doing with that piece of armor, Wolfram? You can't just go and destroy any—wait," the advisor paused as he narrowed his eyes at Wolfram, "you were responsible for that crash earlier?" Wolfram merely shrugged and both Conrad and Murata laughed, while Gwendal let out an exasperated groan and Gunter cried, "Wolfram!"

"Just let it be, Gunter," Gwendal grumbled as he glared at his youngest brother. "I presume that you really were not on patrol duty as Conrad had said." He glanced at Conrad and the second son merely smiled.

"Patrol duty?" replied Wolfram incredulously. "Why would I go on a patrol duty when a witch is lurking around Yuuri and Greta?" he exclaimed.

"Now, now, Wolfram," Conrad soothed. Wolfram gave a loud "hmph!" and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, what were you saying?"

The blond blinked for a moment before finally remembering. "Oh, right. Brother," he turned to Gwendal. "I'm completely certain that that woman is planning something against Yuuri. It's obvious that she's up to no good. I just know it! Why else would she want to be engaged with Yuuri? She's just—"

"Do you have a proof?" questioned Gwendal and Wolfram abruptly fell silent.

"N-No," he muttered quietly, "but Brother!"

"We need strict evidence if we are to apprehend her," Gwendal said as he turned his back on Wolfram. "Till then we have no choice but to continue investigating."

Wolfram opened his mouth to further protest, but decided against it instead. Clenching his hands at his sides, he cursed himself for not being able to defend his argument. True, they needed evidence, and he knew that. Why else would he have been constantly following and watching over Yuuri and that woman all this time? It was no easy task to lurk behind the shadows and watch your beloved from afar, as he spent his time with someone else. Though it may have appeared that he had been avoiding Yuuri, the truth was that he was always watching over him. Always, in every single second…

_Love him from afar._

He flinched when he felt a warm, calloused hand cover his own before Conrad turned him towards him. "Wolfram," his little-big brother said. "It must be difficult for you, but please be patient. We'll do everything we can to change things back to how they are supposed to be. I'm sure that Yuuri wants that as well." Conrad held his shoulders firmly as those elusive almond eyes glimmered with understanding. "We won't fail you again."

"Conrad," Wolfram muttered as Conrad released his hold on him, that enigmatic smile drawn on his little-big brother's lips. With his back turned to them, Gwendal also smiled.

"Well then," said Murata with a curt clap of his hands. "I'm sure Lord von Bielefeld wouldn't mind if we sent him off after Shibuya, right?" Wolfram evidently brightened at his suggestion. "Don't take your eyes off of him," Murata added with his characteristic grin.

"Of course, I won't!" the blond replied passionately. "I never take my eyes off of Yuuri!" And with that, Wolfram scurried away to follow after his king.

* * *

**A/N:** Stop! Stop! DX All right, that was _too close_ for comfort. I barely made it to eight pages! Not counting the Notes, of course. XD

Anyway, thank you, thank you again to those who continue to read and review this story! You've all given this dreary life of mine an irreplaceable shine. (Uh… too much? XD) But honestly, I have enjoyed writing this chapter so much – I actually breezed through it that I did not even notice that I've already written past five pages. And I haven't even reached the part that I wanted! It wasn't supposed to end that way but I had to stop already, or else I'd be breaking my "eight-page policy". How stupid is that? XD Please do tell me if you found it as foolish as I did; I would gladly agree with you all. XD

Oh, and I finally got my hands on Season 3 and… well… (takes a deep breath) I AM SERIOUSLY GOING TO KILL YUURI! DX That stupid, cheating wimp! How dare he think that way of Saralegui! And he never considered Wolfram that way before! DX That pathetic, unfaithful – ugh, I'm so mad and hurt right now that I could just – ah! DX That aside, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. This _is_ for _you_, you know, so please be kind enough to leave a review? As long as this story makes you all happy, then I'm happy, as well. :) And yes, it's Murata's debut! XD

Thanks for reading!

07/18/10: Edited with regards to **Aella Antiope**'s review. Thank you so much for pointing out my mistakes! :)


	12. Chapter Eleven: Still Behind You

**A/N: **I still feel a wee bit mad at Yuuri, but since I love him as much as I love Wolf, I guess I'd be able to forgive him. Someday, that is. Though the moments between him and Wolf in Season 3 were quite notable (especially the embraces), my heart as a Yuuram fan is still aching… T-T

That aside, thanks again to those who continue to read this story! You all are irreplaceable. :D Enjoy reading!

* * *

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

"And why can't I follow after His Majesty, as well?" was Gunter's overly dramatic outcry as he positively bawled.

On the other hand, a rather evident vein was throbbing ominously on Gwendal's forehead, and it was with a growl that he reprimanded the advisor. "Wolfram is already on the task and as of now, we have more pressing matters to attend to, Lord von Christ," the first son hissed through gritted teeth. "Now would you please stop this nonsense?" Gunter let out a strangled yelp when Gwendal forcefully pounded a clenched fist onto his desk.

"Now, now," Conrad muttered as he tried to calm both men down. "Gunter," he said, "you should learn to trust Wolfram as well."

Gunter looked back at him with horror written on his tear-streaked face. "If you were the one to accompany His Majesty, then I would well be at ease, Conrad. But Wolfram is a different story!" the advisor said with another strangled cry. "Ah, Heika," he bawled. "What wrong have I committed to merit such misfortune? All this Gunter wishes is to be by your side…"

Murata let out an exaggerated sigh as Conrad chuckled with uncertainty. Bringing his hands up in defeat, Gwendal merely let himself collapse onto his seat and rubbed his aching temple. They had moved from the king's office to his own office in the absence of the demon king, and Gunter had complained in every possible step of the way. It was a wonder how they had managed to tolerate his histrionic tendencies for so long.

"Wolfram knows what he is supposed to do, Gunter," Conrad said and Gunter looked back at him again with disbelief.

"That spoiled, selfish, little lord brat?" the advisor said with much contempt. "Please, Conrad. We both know exactly how Wolfram behaves," he stated wryly, "and the fact that the Maou is with someone else is a very good reason to not let him—"

"Oh, but he is still the perfect candidate, is he not?" Murata interjected, a knowing expression drawn on his face. "No one knows Shibuya better than Lord von Bielefeld. Other than you, of course," he added with a glance at the second son, and Conrad gave a small smile. "If there's someone who would never let Shibuya be hurt – that is, other than Sir Weller, again – it would be him. After all," his lips widened into a grin as he added, "they're fiancés, aren't they? Regardless of how things have turned out, they still are."

When Gunter still appeared unconvinced, Conrad said, "That is something that will never change. Not anymore, that is." He gave another enigmatic smile at the advisor's direction, to which Gunter finally relented. With a similar smile on his lips, the advisor merely shook his head in defeat, remarking about how he could never go against that kind of reasoning.

With a sigh of his own, Gwendal said, "Well then. Shall we continue with our prior discussion?" His indigo eyes flashed darkly as he glanced at the advisor. "What do you mean about this 'unregistered cargo ship'?" The atmosphere in the room noticeably turned serious at Gwendal's query, and it was with a scowl that Gunter replied.

"That is…"

* * *

"Yuuri, look!" squealed Greta as she pointed to a store which remarkably appeared to be a café of sorts.

It was nearly dusk and though the day was about to end, Yuuri felt delighted at how their little tour turned out to be a success. Bella seemed amused with the general happenings around the town, Yuuri observed, and Greta certainly enjoyed it as well. Now that he thought about it, it had been long since he, himself, had spent his time in town, and it was a welcome distraction from the predicament he was currently facing.

If Wolfram was with them, then he might have enjoyed it more.

"Wait for us, Greta," he called after the little girl who had sprinted towards the mentioned café, an eager grin on her lips. Greta waved back at them with a shout of "Hurry up!" as she bounced in place. Bella laughed softly at this and Yuuri smiled.

They reached the café and Yuuri marveled at how crowded it was inside. Apparently, it was a newly opened store selling treats and sweets, which reasoned out for the fair number of children scampering around the building. Therefore, instead of being ushered inside, they were led to one of the small tables set up in front of the shop, with a faux beach umbrella attached to it and a cute potpourri placed atop its surface, no less.

A waiter came to take their orders and Yuuri said, "What do you want, Greta?" To his surprise, Greta eagerly pointed at a huge, ice cream-like delicacy that another customer was eating. "Crepe?" the young king said, quite amused. "I never knew that we had crepes here in Shin Makoku. Although, they seem a lot smaller than those from Harajuku…"

"Harajuku?" asked Bella, the expression on her face one of curiosity.

Yuuri asked for three orders of the crepe-like delicacy before he answered, "It's a place from where I'm from. But it's also a part of the lame joke that I've lived with since I was a kid." His eyes narrowed comically as the words "Shibuya Yuuri, Harajuku Fuuri" flashed through his mind. Really, those witless bullies could have thought of a better insult than that.

"Yuuri, your face is funny," said Greta as she giggled and pointed at his face. Beside her, Bella was also laughing softly.

"I forgot," the princess said. "You're not truly from here, aren't you, Yuuri?" The young king gave her a nod as a reply. At that, Bella gave him a curious look before saying, "That certainly makes me wonder more."

Before Yuuri could question what she meant however, a group of children had approached their table and asked Greta to join in their game. With permission from her adoptive father, the little girl enthusiastically followed after the other children, and they began to play tag just in front of the store where Yuuri would be able to see them. After a moment, he turned his attention back to the princess and asked, "What do you mean, Bella-san?"

Bella laid her chin against the back of her clasped hands, and Yuuri could not help but notice how greatly the gesture had resembled her father's mannerism. "You are not from this world, and yet you risk your own life for its sake. That is truly… _strange_, Yuuri," the princess said, her clear, amethyst orbs glowing in the orange light of the setting sun.

Yuuri smiled as he gently shook his head. "That really doesn't matter to me, Bella-san, whether I am from this world or not. True, it may seem strange. Stupid, even," he said, his own brown orbs glowing in the orange hue. He had once again disguised himself for their little excursion, and the orange tint of the late afternoon sky gave his features a warm and ethereal radiance, that even Bella found herself being awed at the sight before her. "But I don't regret being a part of this world," Yuuri continued, "and I never will. This is my home now, too, and I will do everything I can to protect it." And he smiled, thinking of how truly precious this world was to him as he watched the children play.

Entranced by that warm smile but refusing to show it, Bella's lips curved into a smirk. "Yes, you would do everything. Even marry someone like me." The young king gazed back at her and Bella could see the conflicting emotions that swam in those presently auburn depths. "Tell me, Yuuri. What do you get from wasting so much of your time and effort in something as unattainable as unifying both races?"

"I'm not wasting my time and effort, Bella-san," was Yuuri's reply. "And peace is not impossible to attain if we all work hard to achieve it," he added.

"But what do _you_ attain from this, Yuuri?" Bella insisted. "Before you came here, both races were intent on annihilating one another, and there were no thoughts of peace and unification. Even at present, despite your efforts, that underlying fact still has not changed," the princess stated. Yuuri appeared to retort, but Bella continued. "Don't you think it is meaningless to try and straighten an old, crooked tree? What if this whole treaty proposed by my father is nothing but a scam, Yuuri, and that we will simply use you for our own desires?" Yuuri evidently flinched at how the princess had stated this so candidly, but Bella ignored him still. "Don't you think that what you're doing is simply futile? Not to mention that you are sacrificing your own happiness for something as vague as this world's peace." The human princess finished with an unkind expression painting her elegant facade, and she was pleased at how the young king seemed more conflicted at her statements.

_What will you do, Maou-heika?_ She thought to herself.

It took Yuuri a moment to answer, but he answered nonetheless. And it was the answer that the princess had least expected.

"True," Yuuri started, his eyes closed and his voice low and quiet. "You may be right in saying that my efforts are meaningless. And you may as well be saying the truth that even now, humans and mazoku are still in war with each other. _But_," his eyes snapped open and Bella felt appalled at the fierce determination that flashed in those dark orbs, "that is just another good reason for me not to give up!" He glanced around him and continued, "I want to create a world where Greta and all the children can continue smiling and playing as they are now, where humans and mazoku would cross bridges together and not separately." His eyes softened and he smiled, sincerely and unreservedly. "I know it would be difficult, and there would be more wars along the way. But one day," he brought his hand over the part of his chest where his heart was, "one day for sure, we will finally learn to understand each other. And even if I don't gain anything for myself from all of this, just knowing that everyone around me is happy is more than enough for me…"

"Stop lying," Bella snapped. "I am fully aware that you only agreed to our engagement for Caloria's freedom. You love him, don't you? That Lord von Bielefeld," she stated contemptuously and Yuuri was surprised at how angered she seemed to be. "Are you saying that you'd rather hurt the one you love for the sake of this world? You're not even certain if everyone wants the peace that you are fighting for and you—" she fell silent when Yuuri merely smiled back at her. And she could not bring herself to believe it, or rather, she would not believe it. How could someone be so selfless?

At that moment, their orders came. The waiter handed the both of them their treats before he walked over to Greta, on Yuuri's request, to hand the child her own. As the young king bit eagerly onto his crepe, the princess simply gazed at her own with her face void of emotion. After a while, Yuuri spoke again.

"I do," he said, and Bella glanced at him to find such a sweet smile lingering on his lips. "And Wolfram already knows that, too. Right before we met you," he added. He took another bite from his crepe, licking at the side of his lips afterwards, before saying, "And that won't change." He seemed to realize how inconsiderate he had sounded again and hurriedly apologized. "I'm not saying that I don't recognize the importance of our engagement! And I'm really honored to be engaged with someone as beautiful as you—" He abruptly paused there, absently wondering how Wolfram would have reacted if the blond heard of what he had just said. "But anyway," he continued frantically. "If it's to help both humans and mazoku to come to an understanding, then I would gladly do my part. Besides," he took a rather large bite out of his treat, "if you and your father really were to do something terrible, then I would just have to stop you, wouldn't I?" Then he grinned widely and childishly at the princess.

Needless to say, Bella was astounded. She had never before met someone as thoughtlessly altruistic as the young demon king before her. She was aware of how gullible the Maou was, but she had never expected him to be _this_ trusting. Truly, how could someone possibly hope for something so impossible?

"Yes," she muttered under her breath, "it is impossible." She watched as Yuuri devoured the rest of his crepe like a small, eager child. And she loathed him. It was painfully absurd, to think that both races would someday come to an understanding. The humans would never reconcile with the mazoku, for they were selfish demons who yearned for nothing else but their adversaries' demise. There was no such thing as true peace and kindness in this world, and she was going to prove it along with her father. They would use any means to attain their goal, and the spineless Maou would finally know how it truly feels to lose your country and your family. And he would learn of it the hard way.

Bella stood up abruptly from her seat and walked away, her crepe left uneaten. "Bella-san?" said Yuuri as he, too, stood up and followed after her. "Bella-san?" he called out again before Bella stopped and turned around to face him, a radiant smile drawn on her lips. Yuuri blinked back at her idiotically.

"Greta was calling for us," she said, to which Yuuri finally noticed Greta waving at them. He matched his steps with Bella's as they approached the little girl, and it was then that Bella said, "I almost forgot, Yuuri. There was this one fruit stand that I wanted to buy from. Would you mind if we go there before we head back to the castle?" They reached Greta and the young king simply nodded at her in reply. Soon, the three of them were walking down the town's market street, where various fruit, vegetable, and meat vendors clamored to sell their products.

As she spotted the particular fruit stand that she was searching for, a furtive yet devious smirk appeared on Bella's lips. _Maou-heika, _she thought. _Even with your prowess, you are not even aware of the pests that have entered your home, seeking to wreck discord to your otherwise peaceful sanctuary._

"My lord, my lady!" the fruit vendor exclaimed as they stopped in front of his stand and Yuuri gaped at how muscularly built the middle-aged man was. "Please, please, go ahead and buy anything!" he suggested as he spread his arms widely towards his fruits.

Bella took a distinctively red fruit from the pile and said, "Is this supposed to be an apple?" Both Yuuri and Greta emitted sounds of curiosity at the oddly shaped fruit that the princess was holding.

"Why, yes, yes! That is quite keen of you, my lady," the vendor said as he rubbed his palms together. "Though their appearances may be odd, our produces are all of high quality and I assure you, they are truly _different_ from your average fruits!" As Yuuri and Greta continued to gaze at the bizarre crops, the man whispered, "Just as His Majesty and Your Highness had wanted. Everything had been prepared according to plan." A malicious grin appeared on the man's face as the human princess, herself, laughed forebodingly under her breath.

"And the _air_? Had anyone noticed?"

"It is going smoothly, Your Highness, and no," the man continued to whisper, "the mazoku are yet to notice."

An overly satisfied sneer painted Bella's face as she resumed speaking normally. "Very well," she said, handing money to the vendor. "We'll take a basket of your fruits. Would you mind picking out the best for us?" The vendor nodded and hurried to his task, while Bella picked out three from the odd apples and handed one each to Yuuri and Greta.

"Bella-san, this is…?"

"Think of it as my gift to you both, Yuuri," the princess replied with a sweet smile, "for giving me such a nice tour around your town." At that, Greta beamed and gave an enthusiastic "You're welcome!" while Yuuri merely chuckled and scratched the back of his head. Then the little girl took a bite out of her apple, and her almond eyes glimmered in delight at the exquisite taste that filled her mouth.

"Yuuri, it tastes so good!" was Greta's remark as she took bite after bite of the strange yet delicious fruit.

Yuuri appeared to be convinced of this and he, too, took a bite out of his own. But no sooner had he tasted the fruit did he notice that something _was _quite different about it. It was not the taste of the fruit itself, but the _sensation _that he felt as he ate it. But since Greta looked so delighted at how the fruit had tasted, Yuuri decided that it must only be him who was having this altered gustatory perception. Perhaps it had something to do with that crepe earlier…

As the young king continued to stare at the pitiful fruit with uncertainty, he failed to notice the ominous look that flashed through the vendor's and the human princess' faces.

The fruit vendor handed them the basket of fruits which Yuuri took so as not to let Bella carry it herself. It was common courtesy, he reasoned. Instead, the human princess received her change, saying, "Did you also take the money for the three apples?"

At that, the vendor curiously blinked. "Three?" he said. "I thought there were _four_ of you, my lady, so I took money for four." He then threw a furtive glance at the dark alleyway a short distance from his stand, which Yuuri failed to noticed but Bella did not.

"Ah, you must have thought wrong, mister. There are only the three of us," Yuuri pointed out, to which the man quickly apologized and handed Bella her additional change. The human princess held out her hand for the money as her now sharp amethysts silently told the man, _Do what you have to._

The man again clasped and rubbed his palms together as he bid them goodbye, saying, "I will see to it that no _pests_ destroy my crops, my lady!" Then the expression on his face turned ominous as he returned behind his stand and watched as a blond, young man clad in green commoner's clothes emerged from the particular alleyway.

* * *

Another groan escaped Gwendal's lips the moment Gunter finished his report. Apparently, there had been quite a number of unregistered cargo ships that arrived at Shin Makoku the same day that they had left for Caloria. In abidance to the laws of the demon kingdom, every transport that was to enter the country were to undergo inspection and these particular vessels were of no exception. It turned out, however, that these ships were simply cargo vessels for imported, natural produce. The only irregularity was that they originated from the human countries, particularly from lands governed by Big Shimaron.

Before, there had been a decree that prohibited human merchants from freely entering the country, but under the twenty-seventh Maou's regime, that rule had been considered as obsolete. Presently, regardless of their merchandise, human peddlers may freely enter Shin Makoku for a set number of days, for as long as they applied for a valid working permit. In a simpler context, this meant that a number of humans were freely roaming throughout the country at present, their true intentions hidden behind masks of supposed trade and commerce.

If the circumstances were different, Gwendal would have given the information the least bit of acknowledgment. Unregistered cargo ships were but one of the common occurrences that they encounter during inspection, but there had rarely been problems concerning them for as long as they entered the country in the appropriate manner. However, given that the possibility of the human king orchestrating a scheme behind their backs was undoubtedly high, any inconsistency must be looked into, lest they fall into Belal's trap for the second time.

"I want a list of these unregistered ships along with their captains and crews. Also of their imports," Gwendal instructed to one of his men. The soldier gave a curt salute and proceeded to do his task, while the first son took out a spare piece of paper and began to write. He gave the finished letter to another of his subordinates, commanding him to send it to Geigen Huber by White Pigeon Mail. With that, he leaned back onto his seat and groaned yet again.

"Gwendal," Gunter said as the door closed after the soldier. "Do you really think that these transports pose a probable threat?" the advisor asked.

Gwendal turned his dark, indigo eyes at him and answered, "We must consider every preventive measure as possible. You are already aware of the matter with the houseki dust, and even I must admit that it was an ingenious act on Belal's part." His mind wandered back to that particular situation as he continued, "There is still the possibility that he might pull another stunt right under our very noses."

"Houseki dust, huh?" Murata muttered as his brows furrowed in contemplation. "That is surely," he paused as his glasses flashed ominously, "_persistent_ of him."

"Persistent?" asked Gunter, to which the Sage nodded curtly.

"If I remember correctly, there had been past accounts of humans attempting to turn houseki crystals into well-refined dust to potentiate their effect," Murata explained, "but this is the first that I've heard it be successful." He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced at the king's vassals. "That aside," he sent a glance at the conflicting hues of indigo and orange outside, "don't you think it's getting a bit late for Shibuya, Sir Weller?"

The second son nodded, saying, "Then it would be best if I check on His Majesty now."

Murata nodded back at him. "I would best be back at the Temple, as well. I trust that would be all right, Lord von Voltaire?" he asked, to which Gwendal simply nodded. "With how things are at the present, all that we can do for now is to wait for the something to actually happen, though I know that all of us would rather that nothing does. I would try and find more information about this houseki dust, particularly other means that Belal might be able to use it." Both he and Conrad then excused themselves and left the room.

With the gentle thud of the door closing, Gunter mumbled, "Other means, huh?" He glanced at the first son, who was now scanning through the rest of the security reports since his absence. "The fruits, perhaps? Though that appears to be unlikely," the advisor voiced out.

As he scanned through the reports, Gwendal also contemplated of the same thing. Yes, he did mention about taking every precaution as possible, but was it even related with the matter at hand? After all, what could _fruits _possibly do?

* * *

Wolfram found it strange. Very strange, indeed.

Since the moment he had entered the town to continue his surveillance of Yuuri, he had already felt that there was something noticeably irregular with the atmosphere. It was as if his chest and throat were being constricted in every breath, and his body felt weak and heavy as he trudged through the town after his philandering ex-fiancé.

He was in Shin Makoku, was he not? Then why was he experiencing the similar sensation of being in human territory?

_What the hell is going on here?_ His mind screamed at him as he hid himself behind a shadowed alleyway and peered around the corner. The corner of his lips elegantly twitched as that obnoxious witch persistently latched herself onto _his_ Yuuri, and it was not long before all thoughts concerning his physical enigma were replaced by ideas of kidnapping said witch and pushing her off a cliff. That would be fun, if he was ever given the chance to initiate that plan.

Instead, he was reduced to a mere image of a stalker when he was supposedly the one linking his arm with Greta and following after Yuuri. Well, he certainly _was_ following after the young king, but that was beside the point. It certainly took every ounce of his self-control to_ quietly_ trail the trio from behind.

Now, he watched as the human princess conversed with the fruit vendor in a… strange manner. The woman had a devilish expression painting her face and Wolfram's insides grew cold at the implications behind that mask. Was she planning something? And what of the merchant who had the same look on his chiseled face?

His instincts as a soldier were heightened at the possibility of any harm coming to his two most treasured persons. If anything happened, he would bid his composure goodbye.

Yuuri took the fruit basket from the vendor and the man gave them their change in turn. The blond watched as the three of them walked away, probably to return to the castle. Slowly, Wolfram stepped out of his hiding place, clad in his own commoner disguise, and motioned to follow after. It was when he was near the particular fruit stand did he notice the fruit vendor observing him and him alone. "What are you looking at?" he snapped automatically.

The man simply grinned at him and said in an overly enthusiastic manner, "Please, my lord. I was only admiring how effeminate you look despite being a young lad." Wolfram shot him a distinctly fierce glare at his remark, and the man flinched. "Are you," the man continued meekly, "by any chance, with that good young lady and her family?"

"They're_ not _her family," the blond spat as his emerald gaze narrowed threateningly at the insolent merchant. Who was this man spouting out nonsense about something he had no knowledge of?

Said man hurriedly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I see, I see," the man muttered. "Then, are you perhaps a stalker or…?" He trailed off as Wolfram positively growled at him, tongues of flame dancing at the tip of his elegant fingers.

That was definitely the third strike. "Shut your mouth," the blond growled, "before I torch your head while it's still attached to your pitiful neck!"

The man scrambled backwards as far as he could that he nearly toppled over his stand. "Please! I did not mean to insult you!" he pleaded.

Around them, the other merchants and customers were already turning their attention towards them. Fortunately, the demon king and his company were already at a good distance away, but Wolfram only grew more irritated at having lost sight of them. Annoyance flashed in those bright green orbs as the young demon advanced towards the impertinent peddler.

"Please!" the man pleaded again. He then reached frantically towards his merchandise and grabbed the nearest fruit he could find. He shoved it into Wolfram's hands, saying, "Take this as an apology! Please don't kill me!"

Wolfram let out another feisty growl as he posed to attack the man, but as soon as the fruit made contact with his hands, his flames quivered peculiarly. _What the…? _The blond paused at this and he stared at the oddly shaped fruit. His golden brows furrowed as he scrutinized the poor… was it a pear? He eyed the man suspiciously, who cringed again under his stare. "What are you trying to pull?" Wolfram asked in a low voice.

The man frantically shook his head. "I recognize my impudence. Please accept that as my apology," he reasoned. "Our produce is presently of top quality and most of the mazoku in this town who had been our customers—"

"I don't need to know about that," Wolfram snapped. He eyed the measly fruit in his hands again. There was definitely something peculiar about it; perhaps either Gwendal or Gunter would know what it was. At that thought, he threw a last reproachful look at the fruit vendor and stalked away from the atrocious human, the "pear-like object" nearly crushed in his firm grip.

He failed to notice the man signal to a pair of hooded figures who were lurking just above the now dimly lit market street.

As soon as Wolfram entered a particularly dark alley, a group of hooded individuals entrapped him in the narrow space. Before the blond could make the slightest move to defend his self, his whole being was suddenly subjected to an agonizing yet familiar pain, and he collapsed to his knees on the cold, hard ground.

And then… darkness.

* * *

**A/N: **Cliffy! Muahahahaha! XD

Excuse me; I'm feeling a bit "high" since I just finished what was probably the hottest M-rated Yuuram I have ever read. Guess what that is. ;D Yes, I read rated-M fanfiction – I have even tried my hand on writing at least one or two. No harm done, right? We all have our quirks. XD Anyway, I'm supposed to be asleep already (No, I don't snore – I think. XD) but I just had to finish this one. I went out of track because of my one-shot, but now I'm back on schedule. But I'm not too sure about the next chapter; I have all these requirements piling up on me and they are to be passed next week. I'll try to make time, though. :)

Ranting aside, like it? Hate it? The plot is actually rolling (again) and it'll be that from this chapter on. Woot! I really hope I could finish this. My head's literally brimming with ideas concerning this baby, so please review! This story would have been nothing if not for all of you, readers. ;D

Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter Twelve: Only Yours

**A/N:** Hi, everyone. How long has it been, a month or so? I apologize for the wait; I'm afraid there have been a few... circumstances that I needed to deal with. But I'm still here, no doubt about that.

I want to thank everyone who have reviewed on the last chapter. So, thanks! As much as I have wanted to, I wasn't able to give my replies, but do know that appreciate them all so much. :)

Enjoy reading!

* * *

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

A single step often led you either to riches or to ruins. At the moment though, Wolfram decided that it was the latter.

"Who are you people?" the blond growled, his right hand automatically releasing the poor, imposing fruit he held and reaching towards his sword. The moment he had entered this particular alley way, intending to take a shortcut, these hooded men had suddenly appeared from nowhere and entrapped him in the narrow space. Not expecting any answer from the cloaked figures, Wolfram began to pull his sword form its scabbard. Before he was able to attack the man nearest him however, a very familiar but excruciating pain racked through his being.

"Aaagh!" the young mazoku cried as his body abruptly felt limp at the sudden onslaught and he lost his hold on his sword, a dull clang resounding from where the weapon had hit the ground. It was unmistakably dark at where they were, but Wolfram knew with exact precision what the source of that pain was even without seeing it. But of course, you could not really perceive it even with the naked eye.

_Houseki! Why is there houseki in demon land? _Wolfram thought frantically as he struggled against his fading consciousness. Then, like a lethal bolt of lightning, realization dawned on him. _Humans!_

He felt rather than saw the leg that came crashing against the side of his head. He was already bent on his knees and as it was, he was thrown forcefully to the ground with the wind knocked out of him, his vision dangerously flickering away. Before he could even register what had happened, there came a second kick to his side that almost rendered him unconscious, but he prevailed. Desperately thinking of ways to defend himself, Wolfram curled into a fetal position on the hard ground and tried to shield himself from the continuous onslaught. A punch clipped him by the shoulder, and another kick was sent against his back. Then, in a mere fraction of a second, Wolfram saw a flash of silver, and horror seeped into every core of his being.

With the sudden ambush of houseki on his part, he could barely stand up and retaliate against his attackers, much more so if he used his maryoku. But if he did not do something now, no matter how reckless it was, he was going to die there. And that was something he could never allow.

With a last cry of "You bastards!" the blond released his element, and the cold alley became a blazing furnace.

* * *

Yuuri's head snapped to his right as the young king glanced over his shoulders, anxiety drawn on his face.

"What's wrong, Yuuri?" asked Greta, her right foot on the carriage's step and her right arm held gently by Yuuri. The young king shook his head and turned his attention back to her, an uncertain smile on his lips. He ushered her into the carriage and assisted Bella as well, before he entered the coach himself and they set off back towards Blood Pledge Castle.

Still, the anxiety that had come so abruptly never left him. It felt as if something terrible had just happened, although he could not describe truthfully what it was.

"Yuuri?"

"I'm fine, Greta," he answered, albeit unconvincingly. The little girl blinked back at him warily but insisted no further, and started a conversation with the human princess instead. Yuuri, on the other hand, turned his attention back outside the small window, barely noticing a flicker of light in the general direction of the market.

By the time they had reached the castle, the sun had already set and velvety darkness painted the high heavens. There at the castle's front steps stood Conrad, apparently awaiting their arrival.

"Welcome home, Heika," the second son greeted as he pulled the carriage door open. Assisting Bella and Greta like the gentleman that he was, he did the same to Yuuri and ushered them inside. "How was your little trip?" he asked.

Greta was the one to respond. "It was really fun!" the little girl chirped. "Greta ate this new treat with Yuuri and Bella-san, and we bought those," she pointed at the basket of uncannily shaped fruits that Conrad now held, "and I played with some of my friends!" As the child continued to narrate animatedly about their escapades earlier that day, the second son politely chuckled.

"Then perhaps I will come with you next time," Conrad suggested, to which Greta giggled approvingly and Bella replied with a "You definitely should, Sir Weller." Then, noting how silent the young king beside him was, he asked, "Is there anything wrong, Heika?"

Yuuri seemed to snap out of whatever daze he was in and he frantically shook his head at Conrad. "No, no," the young king muttered, "nothing at all." He ignored the worried look that Greta sent him. As much as he wanted to ask Conrad if anything peculiar had happened during their absence, he decided against it. After all, Yuuri Shibuya was not one to let others worry about him. "Maybe I'm just tired." True, perhaps he was. Come to think of it, he had been feeling strangely weary these past few days…

"Then perhaps it would be better if you rested in your room for now, Heika," said Conrad. "I'll tell Sangria to bring your dinner to your room. Yours as well," he added, pertaining to Bella and Greta. With that, they escorted the human princess to her room then proceeded towards the king's suite, where Greta would sleep with Yuuri as always.

Upon reaching Yuuri's room, a group of common soldiers rushed past them in evident urgency. Conrad's brows immediately furrowed.

"Conrad? What…?"

"You need not worry, Heika," the second son immediately appeased. "Perhaps Gwendal had simply requested for them," Conrad lied smoothly, though he could see that Yuuri could see through him. Nevertheless, despite his disbelief, the young king relented and with a curt nod, entered his room with Greta. Conrad waited for the quiet _click_ of the door's lock before heading towards the soldiers' direction. But he stopped when Yuuri's door opened again, the young king poking his head through the small gap. "Conrad…"

"Yes, Heika?"

"It's not _Heika_," Yuuri muttered with a pout. "How many times do I have to tell you that?" When the second son simply smiled back at him, he said in a small voice, "Where's Wolfram?"

With a single blink, a gentle smile graced Conrad's lips. "I'm afraid I haven't seen him yet, Yuuri. Do you want me to get him for you?" he lightheartedly suggested, to which the young demon king blushed evidently. As Yuuri shook his head frantically and mumbled incoherently, Conrad gave a polite laugh, then excused himself and continued on his way. He heard the door close behind him for the second time, simultaneously with the curt frown what had settled on his lips. Where _was _Wolfram? Since his younger brother had been following their king, then it was only reasonable that he should also have returned to the castle already. He had expected the young blond to have followed them to the king's room, but as it was, there was no Wolfram in sight. That, and the air of urgency that the soldier earlier had possessed, was settling a foreboding feeling around his shoulders…

Meanwhile, Yuuri let out an otherwise heavy sigh as he fastened the buttons of his pajamas. He still could not shrug that anxiety off. On the bed, Greta was busy stitching a plush toy – it was no doubt a raccoon, unlike that of Gwendal's – concentration etched onto her pretty face. Yuuri watched as she worked her way with the sewing needle, reminding her to be careful every now and then. The young king then let himself collapse onto the comfort of the majestic bed, still mightily fretful.

He had not seen Wolfram since that morning, and it was beginning to bother him. True, the blond might have been at the best avoiding him, but Yuuri felt that that was not the simple case. Conrad had told him that Wolfram was on patrol duty – what if something had happened to him during his watch? What if the dread that he was currently feeling somehow concerned Wolfram? What if something _did_ happen and he was hurt badly?

A loud yet polite knock on the door brought Yuuri out of his thoughts and bolted straight up from the bed, surprising even Greta. He could feel his heart pounding fiercely against his chest, all at the mere thought of Wolfram being in danger. He definitely had to see him, assure himself that the blond was all right.

Barely noticing Greta's worry, Yuuri proceeded unsteadily towards the door and opened it, only to see Sangria standing there with a silver tray of food in her hands. "Good evening, Your Majesty," the maid greeted politely. "I have brought yours and her Highness' dinner as Sir Weller had requested."

"Ah… thank you, Sangria-san," said Yuuri as Sangria entered the room and settled the silver tray on the bedside table. She then bowed courteously and prepared to leave the room, when Yuuri called her back. "Sangria-san," the young king started. "Do you know where Wolfram is?" he asked directly. At the obvious gleam that appeared on the maid's eyes, Yuuri thought that perhaps Sangria did indeed know of the whereabouts of the blond, but to his dismay the answer was still a "No, I'm afraid not, Your Majesty." Of course, Sangria could have just been thrilled by the mere fact that Yuuri was looking for his former fiancé: Yuuri had long since learned about how "romantically inept" the maids were in Blood Pledge Castle. So with a sigh, the young king simply thanked Sangria again and the maid left the room, while Yuuri continued to worry.

Where the hell _was_ Wolfram?

On the other hand, Conrad had reached the location of the aforementioned soldiers, and he found himself at the front steps of the castle once again. Noting the presence of his older brother, he approached Gwendal and asked – his tone stern and apprehensive – "What is it?" Gwendal turned to him with basically the same expression.

"The patrol soldiers in town had reported evidences of a struggle," the first son explained. "It appears we have trespassers inside the kingdom." The usual frown on his face was on a deeper note, and Conrad could observe the barely controlled anger behind his composed façade. There was definitely something wrong.

"A struggle?" asked Conrad, his anxiety heightening. Gwendal need not answer more than the grim nod that he had given, for at that moment, the castle's front gates opened and a group of soldiers entered through, and Conrad received the answer to his question there and then.

* * *

The elusive sandman had barely emptied his bag of sleeping dust on Yuuri when hurried footsteps and apprehensive voices shook him awake again. Rubbing his sleep-laden eyes, he slowly sat up, pushing the covers away from his body. On the other side of the bed, Greta was already fast asleep, her half-finished raccoon encased firmly in her small arms.

From the light that came from the narrow slit under the doorway, Yuuri could make out the faint silhouettes of people moving about the corridor outside, the noisy clang of the soldiers' metal boots echoing against the granite walls. Curious, the young king stood from the bed and approached the door, putting a hand on the door's handle. As he stepped out onto the brightly-lit hallway, he almost collided with a hurrying Gunter, who seemed to have not even noticed that his beloved king was there.

"H-Hey, Gun—"

"Heika?" a voice came from behind him and Yuuri turned to see Gisela. "Why are you still awake?" Before Yuuri could reply however, she immediately added, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. That was impolite of me. What I meant was—"

"No, it's all right," Yuuri assured her, waving his hands in front of him.

Gisela smiled. "But really, Heika, you should already be resting."

"I was about to," the young king reasoned, "but then I heard the soldiers' footsteps and I was worried that something might have—"

"Gisela!" Gunter's voice suddenly boomed from behind him that Yuuri noticeably jerked in surprise. "What are you doing there? I told you to hurry," the advisor continued, still oblivious of Yuuri's presence there and ignoring the frantic gesture that her daughter was making. "This is an emergency. Wolfram is—"

"Wolfram? What about Wolfram?" Yuuri whipped hastily behind him to face Gunter, and the royal advisor froze; it was only then that he finally noticed the young demon king standing in front of him. "And what is this emergency? Did something happen? Where is he?" He could hear the pitch of his voice rising along with the panic that was welling inside of him – the feeling of dread that he had felt earlier was coming back at him at full force.

"H-Heika…" The advisor seemed to be at a loss for words. Behind Yuuri, Gisela frowned guiltily.

"Gunter!"

After a few more fretful fidgeting on the advisor's part, he finally gave a dejected sigh. "I apologize, Your Majesty," Gunter managed to say, "but I'm afraid that I would have to ask you to return to your room. There is nothing for you to—"

"Nothing to worry about? But it's obvious that there _is_ something to worry about!" said Yuuri; he, himself, noting how sarcastic his manner had been. "You're hiding something from me – _again_," he declared accusatorily, to which both father and daughter flinched uncomfortably. He knew he must have sounded rude, but the dread that was gnawing at him at that moment was becoming increasingly unbearable, all the more so since the still unnamed issue at hand somehow concerned Wolfram. "And if this has something to do with Wolfram, then I have all the right to know what it is." Without giving much thoughts to his actions, he stormed away from his room and towards the direction where he knew Wolfram's room was located, both Gunter and Gisela following behind him with worried expressions on their faces.

As Yuuri trudged hall after hall what were lined with various portraits and suits of armor, he subconsciously wondered exactly how he had come to have the knowledge of where Wolfram's room was located, though he immediately dismissed that thought as he rounded around a corner and the blond's door came into view. Two soldiers were standing guard over Wolfram's door, and they both were apparently surprised at the sudden appearance of their king.

"Your Majesty," Gunter gasped as he caught up with the young king, "I don't think that—" But Yuuri ignored him and with unusual vigor, rushed past the guards and pushed the door open with a deafening crash.

"Heika!"

"Shibuya!"

Now, if the occupants of the room were appalled by this sudden entrance of their king, their surprise would not have been able to compare to what Yuuri felt at that moment:

There at the bed sat Wolfram, dressed only in his white undershirt and blue pants, in an injured state like Yuuri had never seen him in before. A long, nasty laceration ran down from his left temple to his left cheek, and the same area was covered by a bruise what was already turning dark purple in color. His left eye was evidently swollen, and the blond was having difficulty in trying to even keep it open. A corner of his lip was dragged down in a one-sided frown by another gash, raspy, labored breaths coming out of those battered lips. The rest of his face was more or less peppered with similar bruises and multiple abrasions and, Yuuri guessed, so were the other parts of his body. Underneath his unbuttoned undershirt, Yuuri could see the bandages that covered his torso and part of his abdomen, then those on both of his arms.

Never had Yuuri experienced countless emotions waltz through him all in one time: distress, sadness, concern, guilt, affection… and _anger_. Cold, hard anger.

It was all he could do not to go berserk and turn to the Maou at that moment.

With clenched fists and barely maintained composure, Yuuri walked slowly towards Wolfram at first. But not a second after was he already flying across the short distance from the doorway towards the blond, who, by then, still had not recognized his presence. The other occupants of the room, namely Conrad, Gwendal, Anissina and Murata, had now recovered from their shock and were now sending accusing glances at both Gunter and Gisela, who were staring back at them apologetically in turn.

"Wolfram," Yuuri muttered in what was even less than a whisper, his throat constricted from pain and disbelief as it was. It was then that Wolfram finally recognized Yuuri's presence, and his wounded eyes widened in shock.

"Yuuri," he breathed, "what… what are _you_ doing here?" He turned – painfully, it seemed – to Conrad's general direction. "I thought I specifically told you not to let him know about this!"

"That is… well, you see…"

"What are you talking about?" Came Yuuri's unusually strained voice and Wolfram turned back to him to find that naturally calm face on the verge of breaking. "You're going to hide this from me? Why would you—"

"I'm fine, Yu—Your Majesty," Wolfram interrupted, correcting himself. He tried to release himself from Yuuri's trembling hold. "Return to your room. This is nothing. There's no need for you to—"

At that point, Yuuri snapped. "What do you mean this is nothing!" He bellowed, to the surprise of all the others in the room. "You're hurt! You're badly hurt! And you're going to hide it from me? What the hell are you thinking?"

"Your Majesty, that's not—" Wolfram tried to interject him but Yuuri ignored him or, more precisely, did not even hear him.

"You've been gone all day and I haven't seen you even for a second! And now that I do you're like this and you wouldn't even let me see you? Don't you know how worried I've been?"

"I told you, Your Majesty. It's—"

"And _stop calling me that!_" Yuuri continued, tears already threatening to spill from the corner of his eyes. "You say 'Your Majesty' this and 'Your Majesty' that – I don't want _you_ calling me _that_! I'd—"

"_Yuuri!" _bellowed Wolfram, much in the same volume what Yuuri had earlier done. He turned his burning emeralds and stared right through the other's black depths. "I didn't want you to know about this because I knew that you would react like this! I…" His eyes softened at that as he continued, "I didn't want you to worry…"

That brought a stop to the young king's rant, silencing him effectively. After a few more minutes of eerie silence, Murata approached the young king and placed a hand on the lad's still trembling shoulder. "Gisela-san," he said over his shoulder, "perhaps you'd better tend to Sir von Bielefeld's wounds now. The bandages won't be enough." With a nod, Gisela approached Wolfram and motioned to kneel before him to begin her task, but she stopped when Yuuri spoke yet again.

"I'll do it."

To that, the others blinked and Wolfram scowled further. He opened his mouth to protest but Yuuri had already knelt before him and held his injured hands in his, and not soon after, warmth was spreading through his veins and a green light glowed from their intertwined hands. "Yuuri, you…"

"Would you mind," Yuuri said, referring to the others, "leaving us for a moment?"

He need not repeat his request, for the others were already stalking towards the door – Gunter, quite reluctantly – shaking their heads in the same bewilderment that their smiles portrayed. As Conrad closed the door behind him, he gave a last amused glance at the two lads, before shutting the door with a quiet thud. And they were finally alone.

From the heavy silence that filled the spacious room, they could hear Gwendal's authoritative voice as he gave commands to his men, particularly to continue their search for the infiltrators. Wolfram noticed Yuuri's eyes narrow at this, but the young king kept silent. A moment passed, and another, until Wolfram broke the eerie but comforting silence that they shared.

"Yuuri… Yuuri, it's fine now." He made to pull his hands from Yuuri's grasp but the young king held them still. "Yuuri, that's enough. I'm fine now…"

"I don't care."

Now that confused Wolfram more than the outburst Yuuri had displayed earlier. "Excuse me?"

Yuuri kept his eyes hidden beneath the shadow of his bangs as he said in a quiet voice, "I don't care if you're going to avoid me. I don't care if you won't even speak to me anymore or even let me see you. Because I still will…" Wolfram felt Yuuri's grip on his hands tighten, then that sheepish grin what the blond was more familiar with spread across his face.

Wolfram, on the other hand, blushed scarlet at the meaning behind the young king's words. "Y-You wimp!" he stuttered. "That's just slightly pathetic, you… you…"

"Wimp?" the young king supplied then let out a fit of giggles. "That's right, isn't it? I'm _your_ wimp, aren't I?" And yes, now that he had put that thought into words, Yuuri decided that it was so very true. In the few days that he had not heard that particular phrase from the blond, he now realized that he, in fact, missed hearing it somehow. Standing up slowly and straightening himself up, he let go of Wolfram's hands with that same affectionate expression displayed on his face. "I don't care what etiquette demands of you, and I don't care that we're not fiancés anymore. I just want you to call me that."

"Are you crazy?" asked Wolfram incredulously. "I can't just act so informal around you in front of everyone else now!"

But Yuuri shook his head at him and stood his ground, stubborn as he was. "'Yuuri' is fine, or 'wimp', or 'cheater', or 'king with loose morals' – anything. Just not 'Your Majesty'…" It was obvious that Wolfram was flabbergasted – if not downright scared – of how the young king was acting as his eyes widened at every word Yuuri had uttered. "What I meant was—well, you see—I just don't like it when you call me that. It doesn't feel _right_… and I don't want you hiding something like this from me." His onyx orbs hardened with unspoken determination. "Not… not when it's like this…" At the last phrase Yuuri's voice seemed to break at the middle, but he caught himself and held back his tears, though the throbbing pain that he had felt ever since he saw the blond in such a state still felt as if millions of daggers were skewering his heart. In a flash the hostility that had gripped at him earlier was back, along with extreme fear of the worse possibilities what could have happened to the blond.

And Wolfram could see them; the intense emotions that danced in the young king's eyes, he could decipher them all too well. And he was both surprised and touched at how concerned Yuuri was, though – him being him – he did not let that be evident.

So with what started out as a quiet chuckle, Wolfram let out a loud laugh, before eyeing Yuuri with the same wicked expression as that of the infamous Cheshire cat. Then he raised his index finger in front of his face and made the gesture for Yuuri to come closer, wagging his digit front and back, front and back. Yuuri, ever the clueless one, snapped out of his daze and merely blinked at the grinning blond, but edged his face nearer as how Wolfram had intended him to do. The blond urged the young king further, muttering "Closer, closer," until Yuuri's face was noticeably just an inch away from his. By then the young Maou was evidently blushing, a wide palette of red shades dancing across his tanned skin, and he only blushed further when Wolfram's grin turned even more wicked (if that was still possible) and the blond brought his own face closer, their lips almost touching. Before Yuuri could even feel the slightest touch of his lips against Wolfram's however, he felt a strange sensation of heat on his forehead… and the smell of something _burnt_.

"WAAH!" yelped Yuuri as he literally leapt back and threw his hand over his forehead, where his ebony hair was burnt with what chefs would probably call, "low heat". In front of him, Wolfram was – to put it simply – laughing his head off despite the still nagging pain from his wounds. "Wolfram! What did you do that for?" the young king whined as the blond continued his fit. As Yuuri watched him however, he noticed that despite those numerous bruises and abrasions, Wolfram now looked more relieved than pained, and he was grateful for that.

But before he could give the blond what one might call a "payback", the door suddenly opened and a particular someone entered the room. And – as they say – all hell broke loose.

* * *

**A/N:** I view cliffhangers as a necessity – don't you think so, too? Especially for multi-chaptered stories, one will have to ensure that readers will keep on reading the following chapters, and what better way to peak their interests than to end it as such? ;D Or in other words, I just like being mean sometimes. :)

To tell you the truth, I intended to write a "gloomier" author's note but right now, I'm genuinely happy for once since this past miserable month. Thanks again, Kuyuki. :) So... I hope this chapter is to your liking, everyone, because of course, it's for you all. If you're happy with it, then I am too.

Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter Thirteen: It Begins

**A/N:** Yo, minna. Missed me? XD I suppose not. You're all probably really mad at me by now. Still, I really appreciate all your reviews for the last chapter and the alerts. Thank you! You are all really, really nice despite my obvious… lack of update. I have my reasons. Anyway I'm still alive, that's what matters. ;D

Enjoy reading!

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

His body was screaming in torturous pain; the countless wounds on his otherwise perfect countenance a constant source of agony. But all hell be damned if he did not act _now_.

"_You…_" was Wolfram's callous salutation as the newcomer stepped into the room, his previous fit of laughter an already forgotten memory. Violent trembles racked his battered body, his demeanor screaming silent rage as he glowered at the human princess who dared to even enter _his_ territory.

Beside him, the demon king was in a growing state of confusion, his brows furrowed and his lips curved in a worried frown. "Wolf, what is it?" Yuuri felt himself tense at this sudden alteration of the blond's disposition, all the more so when flames started to erupt from the palm of his left hand. "Wolf! Wait!" was Yuuri's feeble attempt on trying to calm the blond down, said attempt growing more frantic as Wolfram started to chant under his breath.

Before long, a creature of blazing fire appeared and came rushing towards Bella who, despite her pretense of innocence and indifference, let out a frightened scream as the creature came rampaging towards her. It would have killed her, if not for Yuuri dragging her toward the ground a mere second ago.

"Heika! Wolfram!"

Conrad and the others came rushing into the room at Bella's scream, their hands poised over their swords. Seeing the remnants of the recent blaze and Wolfram's countenance, however, were more than enough evidence to clue them to the whole picture.

"What the hell did you do that for, Wolf?" Yuuri shouted after recovering from his shock, Bella's hands a trembling vice-grip on his arm. "That was dangerous! You almost ki—!"

"_Move._" Wolfram's voice was potent venom as it dripped from his battered lips, his usually clear emerald eyes now a shade of dark verdant that could even rival that of Yuuri's.

Needless to say, Yuuri was frightened – _terrified_ even – just as much as the princess behind him was. He had never seen Wolfram this angered before, and it did not help that said blond was beginning to chant again.

"W-Wait, Wolfram…!" Again, Yuuri's attempts fell upon deaf ears. Nevertheless, he managed to forcefully lift himself from the ground despite his trembling knees and rush towards the blond in another attempt to stop him. He grabbed the blond's raised arms and began to suppress Wolfram's maryoku with his own, which was a difficult task since the other was intent on fully unleashing his own. "Stop it, Wolfram!" the young king shouted. "What's gotten into you? You shouldn't be doing this; you'll make your situation worse!" But the blond's only answer was a fierce struggle against him.

"Your Highness," Conrad muttered as he lifted Bella gently from the ground. "Do you know…?"

Bella shook her head slowly. "No, Sir Weller," she answered, her voice hushed and wavering at the middle. "As I've told you, I only came for Yuuri… I don't know why Sir von Bielefeld suddenly…"

"You hypocrite!" bellowed Wolfram to the further astonishment of the people in the room. He was panting excruciatingly as he kept his struggle against Yuuri, but his eyes belied none of his obstinacy as he glared fiercely at the princess. "Pretending to be all innocent in front of everyone, you charlatan; _shut your trap!_" Wolfram's snapped violently when Bella motioned to speak. "Don't you _dare_ tell me that you know nothing of this!"

"Wolf, what are you…?"

"What am I talking about?" The sarcasm in Wolfram's voice was enough to make Yuuri falter. "I'm talking about _her being responsible for all of this!_" With a forceful tug, the young mazoku freed himself from Yuuri's grasp and pointed accusingly at the human princess. "Humans and houseki; they're here in Shin Makoku! And _she_ is the one giving them orders!"

Conrad, Gunter and Gwendal's eyes noticeably narrowed at this while Murata's spectacles flashed briefly in turn. But Yuuri noticed this and immediately stepped in between. After all… "Bella-san was with me the whole day!" he reasoned, giving the frightened lady an assuring glance. Though, he soon found out that that was the worst statement he could have uttered at that moment.

"So you're saying… you won't believe me."

Yuuri blanched at Wolfram's pained words. "N-No, it's not that, Wolf," he meagerly reasoned. "It's just that she's been with me and Greta the whole day, and I find it impossible that she would be behind this…"

"I saw her conspiring with the fruit vendor, and I was attacked mere minutes after that," Wolfram declared as she kept his glare on Bella. "She was with you the whole day, sure," his voice dripped with sarcasm as he glared at the young king, "but that won't prevent her from literally acting behind your back, Yuuri!"

"But you can't just accuse her like this! And were you following us?"

"So you're saying I'm making these all up!"

"That's not it, Wolf!" Yuuri was close to whining. "But you can't just put all the blame on her when you have no proof! It must have been a coincidence, or you must have just seen wrong, or… or…" His own words faltered as he watched the blond lower his guard, exhaustion surmounting his apprehension. "…Wolf?"

"Get out."

"Wha—? But Wolfram I…!"

"I said _get out_!" Wolfram spat vehemently that Yuuri even took a step back. "Humans and houseki – no, houseki _dust_… you really think it's just coincidence, huh?" He turned his back to the rest of them, a pained chuckle escaping his lips. "And here I thought you'd rather believe _me_…" His last statement was meant to be inaudible, but Yuuri heard him perfectly still. He held a weary hand up, however, to silence the young king from further retorts. "Just… just go, Yuuri… I don't want to argue with you…"

But Yuuri, stubborn as he was, held his ground. "No! I'm not leaving until you—"

"_I said get out, Yuuri!_"

A strangled cry came from the young king as he leapt out of the way of Wolfram's flames. There were several different cries from the other people in the room before the flames disappeared and Yuuri looked up in time to see Wolfram fall to his knees, a blotch of bright red steadily staining the bandages over his sides. "Wolf!" He motioned to approach the blond but was hindered by yet another of Wolfram's fierce glares. A hand then came in brief contact with his shoulder and he turned to see Gisela.

"Perhaps it would be better if you leave for now, Your Majesty."

Yuuri looked up at her with uncertainty and protest in his eyes, but Gisela only smiled ruefully back at him. With a sigh, he let his shoulders sag, turned away from the injured blond and headed towards the door, to which Conrad escorted him obligingly. Bella followed after them, and with a soft thud, the door closed behind them.

It was a silent trek back to the king's suite, stillness so dense that one could literally pierce through it with a knife. The same knife what was stabbing metaphorically at Yuuri's heart.

Not another word was spoken until they reached the royal quarters, to which Conrad bade the royal couple goodnight. The young king did not miss the concern that painted the man's features, but there was nothing he could bring himself to do that moment but to stand there and dwell on nothingness. A moment later, he felt Bella's gentle grasp on his arm as she ushered him to his room and Conrad pulled the door close after bidding them yet another goodnight.

"Yuuri?"

The human princess was now standing before him, touching his arm and speaking in a voice that was meant to be assuring. Yuuri could not feel the least bit assured at all.

He could not even bring himself to look at her. If she truly was the one who hurt Wolfram, then… But he still wanted to believe what he initially believed: that Bella had no concern with what happened to Wolfram. He tried to reason with his own consciousness that perhaps Wolfram was simply heaving accusations blindly, but at the same time he could not believe that idea at all. Yes, it was a fact that Wolfram was not fond of Bella – no, far from that even. He _hated_ her, and Yuuri was not as clueless as not to know the reason why. Yet Wolfram's rage earlier was genuine, and Yuuri found it impossible that the blond was, to use his own words, just making things up.

He had promised not to doubt anyone anymore. And he had hurt Wolfram by doubting him. Great. Just great.

He wanted to believe Wolfram. But he also wanted to believe Bella. He wanted to believe _himself_.

Somehow, that last thought was proving difficult at that moment.

"…could not possibly believe that, do you, Yuuri? As you've said, I was with you the whole day and never left your side. I'm sorry, but perhaps Sir von Bielefeld simply is lying—"

"Wolfram doesn't lie." The words were out before he even realized it. It was only then that he brought his eyes to look at the woman before him, his lips set in a thin line of doubt. Bella fell silent. "I cannot prove if he is telling the truth, but I'm sure he certainly wasn't lying." For a moment, he saw something flash in those amethyst orbs. Fear? Anger? "But I won't throw the same accusations at you, Bella-san, because I want to keep on believing on what I did know. I told myself before that I will never doubt anyone again, so as much as I want to believe in Wolfram, I want to believe in you, too."

His last phrase must have taken the young lady by surprise, for her eyes widened in disbelief. He gave her a tentative smile. "Right now, though, I hope you won't mind if I prefer to be alone."

The princess gave a start and merely nodded, seemingly a bit dazed as she gave a gentle kiss to Yuuri's cheek and escorted herself from the room, giving the young king a smile as she stepped out.

Then, Yuuri was alone, and he let himself simply collapse to the floor, feeling emotionally drained and empty and particularly confused. Was it possible to believe two different things at the same time? Yuuri snorted to himself. If it were, everything would have been much easier. Definitely easier.

* * *

"Thank you, Gisela."

The medical sergeant gave him a gentle smile as she pulled the blanket to his injured chest. Citing a few more reminders of not over-exerting himself and simply staying in bed, Gisela then left the room, leaving Wolfram alone in his dark sanctuary with only the remnants of the earlier argument for reluctant company.

He sighed heavily, bringing his arms over his eyes but then immediately decided against it; his left eye was still prettily swollen and it throbbed willingly, sending sharp spikes of pain through his head. He frowned.

Yuuri defended Bella. _Stupid wimp,_ he thought. Must he always choose her over him? Right… perhaps that was simply an exaggeration. That could never be the case, could it?

_I said get out, Yuuri!_

A knot of… _something_ twisted painfully in his chest. Guilt? He had seen Yuuri's reaction after his outburst, and only now did he fully realize how offensive he had acted. Yes, it _was _guilt.

He had not meant to treat Yuuri that way. He did not even mean to practically "blurt out" his accusations against the human princess for he, himself, was aware of how vague his indictments were. Yes, that was undoubtedly houseki dust that was thrown at him, but he could not be so certain as to point his finger at the woman and say that she was behind it. As Yuuri had said, he had no proof, and even to Wolfram, the whole deal was but a momentary loss of self-control.

So much for keeping his composure.

He wanted so much to go to Yuuri and apologize, but what could he say? That he was wrong? Somehow, that did not seem to settle right with him. He may have been downright rude, but his instincts as a soldier were telling him he was not wrong.

Still, he could never blame Yuuri for reacting in such a way. The last thing that wimp would want to do was doubt him, or anyone for that matter. It was mere selfishness on his part to try and persuade Yuuri into believing him, and it was not like he particularly chose that woman's side… again.

A third sigh escaped his lips. And now Yuuri was alone with that woman again, and only Shinou knew just what lies that human was spouting in order to persuade Yuuri into believing her. The urge to go to Yuuri heightened on that last thought, and he shoved the blanket off of him, wincing when a sudden stab of pain racked through his left side. The hell with his injuries; he had suffered worse pain than this. Much worse.

"I know how bad you feel, Sir von Bielefeld. But I don't think Shibuya would appreciate you prancing around with those injuries, even if you were to apologize to him."

His emerald eyes widened in surprise as his head snapped to the direction from where the voice came from. From out of the shadows appeared Murata, his lips curved in a small smile and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Your Highness," Wolfram managed to utter after his momentary surprise. "I did not notice you enter the room."

"Figures," Murata chuckled. "That would be Shibuya's fault, wouldn't it be?" The blond gave him a small nod in reply. The former prince was most likely blushing, even if Murata could not see it in the darkness of the room. He gave his usual grin before his expression turned serious. "Are you quite certain of your words earlier, Sir von Bielefeld?"

How ironic. "No. I'm afraid not, Your Highness," the blond answered apologetically. He clenched his fists tightly as he added, "But my instinct tells me—!"

"You're instinct tells you that you are not wrong either, is that correct?" The Great Sage supplied, to which Wolfram merely nodded. "I will not argue with you on that point, Sir von Bielefeld. When you said there was houseki dust here in the country, I believed you. You're one of the most skilled maryoku users in your generation, and for you to attest about the presence of houseki in a demon country is a fact that is not to be questioned by anyone. Except of course," he gave a roll of his eyes at this, "our very own king."

Wolfram felt himself resign to the indelible fact. Honestly, their proclaimed and respected king can be frustratingly gullible at times that it was surprising how he could even manage his kingdom.

Ah, yes. There was Gwendal, after all.

"We're currently investigating a number of unregistered cargo ships that apparently came from the human country." Wolfram's eyes sparked with interest and conviction, but the sage discouraged him nonetheless. "I advise you not to jump into conclusions, Sir von Bielefeld," Murata warned.

"But are there possibilities?" asked Wolfram, his voice laced with anticipation.

"Possibilities, yes." His spectacles flashed in certainty as Murata answered. "I have been doing my research about this houseki dust, and I'm afraid I've come across something of great concern." Wolfram was listening intently to him as he continued, "We are already aware of houseki being embedded in weapons and various contraptions, and that is possible even when houseki is in its crystallized form. There have been past accounts of humans seeking new ways on how to manipulate houseki, one of them is—"

"Turning it to dust," Wolfram finished for him.

Murata nodded. "Although I have yet to find reports of its success, there is a high possibility that Belal might have already achieved what his ancestors could not. The only question is its effectiveness when combined with other methods."

There was a pause before Wolfram supplied, "The unregistered cargo ships." Again, Murata nodded and Wolfram cursed. Despite the lack of evidence, everything was falling into place. The events that unfolded since their escapade at Caloria were no mere coincidence. It was all a horrifying setup.

Everything was also very predictable and yet they let things go underhand as it was now. Curse that wretched Belal _and_ their incompetence.

"Have you informed my brothers about this, Your Highness?" When the Sage replied negatively, the blond stood from his bed and headed towards the door, but Murata stopped him. "We need to inform them about this, Your Highness," Wolfram insisted.

"Yes, but I'm afraid your brothers and Gisela-san would have my head if you injure yourself further. Not to mention Shibuya." Murata sighed. "Perhaps telling you about this matter first was a mistake," he mumbled under his breath. "I will inform them myself, Sir von Bielefeld. You have your rest." Wolfram tried to argue his way out however, but with Murata's insistence, the other lad finally yielded. The Great Sage bid him goodnight and headed to the door, while Wolfram reluctantly returned to his bed.

"And Sir von Bielefeld," Wolfram looked at him, "it would be better if you do rest. From tomorrow onwards, we will begin to take measures, and I expect you to—'

"Consider it done, Your Highness." The blond's eyes burned with definite conviction. "Whatever the task will be, consider it done."

* * *

**A/N:** … and done! Haha. Finally. Although this didn't end as I intended it to, I really want to post an update so here it is. Man, I really missed this place. XD I hope someone's still going to read this, though. Tell me how you thought! I've been famished for reviews for a really long time. ;D

Thanks for reading!

Oh, and is advertising illegal here? Because anyone who needs a beta-reader, I'd be more than happy to help you. You can read my profile for more details. :) I need the practice. Haha. Thanks again!


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Of Plots and Schemes

**A/N: **Here's another chapter. ;) No promises yet for regular updates but I'm heading there. Thank you so much for the reviews! You all continue to remind me just how much this writing business means to me. I really still can't figure out how I managed to graduate from a different course. O.o?

That said, enjoy reading, everyone!

* * *

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Footsteps already quick and light were further drowned by the crashing tides, the midnight sea breeze a chill that unrelentingly bit. Eyes ablaze with tenacity and determination gleamed through the darkness; conversation in between exchanged in hushed tones.

Sand and stone crackled beneath them as the small party furtively made their way across the shoreline, their destination looming across from them like a haunted pirate's ship. There were but few lights burning from the two cargo ships, the faintest of movements visible through the small windows. The enormous rocks that littered the coast served as their shield from surveying eyes; it would have been a different matter if this was your typical raid. Given the circumstances and their knowledge of the enemies at hand, failure was but a step away.

There was a signal from the leader of the group and two of his subordinates proceeded towards the nearest ship. Hiding in the shadows, one of the pair stood guard as the other took out an object not unlike that of a crystal ball. Within the orb was a swirling mass of dense air: an original ivory in shade, now a pale crimson. From his hiding place, the leader caught a glance of the now red orb, a deep frown marring his face. As expected, this would definitely not be a simple foray. The sting that he had been suppressing as they approached their target was already an obvious sign.

Forming gestures with his hands, the rest of the party advanced nearer to the vessel, all the while staying hidden. There was a single individual guarding the ramp that led to ship; this lit a flare of annoyance within the leader. Were they not anticipating any form of attack at all? Feeling overconfident that the demon country would not discover their plans? Impudent bastards. He would make them regret for even considering that idea.

On his orders, two of his men leapt from the shadows and raced towards the unsuspecting human. There was a sickening crack and a thud as the guard collapsed to the ground, unconscious. There was a movement from the ship's deck and the assault pair backed into the shadows, until a pained cry was heard from the unknown individual and another thud signaled his collapse. The pair sped up the ramp and was greeted with the sight of the unconscious man, an arrow lodged in his right shoulder. The arrow had been soaked in a solution that the Great Sage had called as "chloroform", its effectiveness presented by the first victim before them.

A brief scan of the deck revealed nothing of importance, and the pair signaled for the rest of the party to come. With the leader in front, they headed from the shadows towards the deck, swiftly and silently, bypassing the unconscious guards. The moment they set foot on the ship's deck, the orb flashed a sickening shade of bloody crimson, and the leader felt a wave of nausea wash over him. One of his men caught him as he faltered in his step, but he slapped him away.

"Your Excellency, perhaps it would have been better if you left this task to us."

Emerald eyes snapped towards the soldier. "Are you saying that I am incapable?" Wolfram hissed.

"Of course not, Your Excellency. Forgive my insolence," the soldier stated apologetically. Wolfram huffed but otherwise cursed himself for his instability. The soldiers he had chosen for this assignment were from Conrad's unit: they were better skilled in close-combat and assassination and did not depend on the use of maryoku unlike his own unit. They were also Conrad's men for the fact that they were similar to him: born to a human and a demon. Thus, they were unaffected by houseki, albeit minimally, and were best suited for this raid. It was only Wolfram who had to suffer the consequences.

Abandoning small talk, he dispatched half of his men towards the other ship. Those who were left with him set to the task of tying up and hiding the unconscious guards, before they proceeded towards the lower decks. The presence of houseki was heavier inside, and Wolfram was led to ask if the whole ship was rigged with the infuriating substance. It would not surprise him if it was.

There were but a few men in the floor right below the top deck. This floor housed the rooms, and it was with a sickening mirth that they found the rest of the human grunts snoring and salivating as they slept. Really… did they think so lowly of the demon army that they would not even guard themselves? This whole "sneaking in" business was proving to be a waste of time if this was all they would be presented with.

"Arrogant bastards," Wolfram snapped as his men went to the task of sending the already unconscious thugs further into unconsciousness. Chloroform-dabbed pieces of cloth were slapped over their faces and the grunts did not even have the decency to resist. "Pathetic," Wolfram hissed again and he led his men through the rest of the rooms, repeating the same, dull task with the rest of the comatose grunts.

As they reached the kitchen however (it being one of the well-lit rooms), there was the slightest bit of struggle as two of the human guards attempted to fight, but they were quickly taken care of. Wolfram left one of his men to guard the unconscious humans and led the rest down towards the storage deck, where he expected to find the object of their mission. The orb had become a shade darker than earlier, and movement was proving more difficult for him by each step. Nevertheless, he was going to pull through, as Wolfram had vowed to himself.

With renewed vigor, Wolfram dashed down towards the storage area and kicked the door open, sending the semi-conscious guards inside the room into a fit of shock. Their gazes fell on the intruder and, with a colorful array of obscenities spouting from their mouths, charged towards Wolfram. Now it was apparent that they truly did not expect an attack, if their surprise was any indication. This irked Wolfram more and he unsheathed his sword. "Don't interrupt," was his only order to his men as he fell into a familiar stance. With precise movements he dodged an attack to his right, bringing the hilt of his sword down on the unsuspecting wrist and relishing in the sound of the breaking ulna, before slamming the same hilt into the grunt's temple, automatically rendering the man unconscious. If it was left to his discretion he would have beheaded the imbeciles and slashed their limbs off—yes, he bore a grudge after the cowardly attack these impudent humans had pulled on him and he was more than willing to avenge himself. But His Highness' orders were to simply raid the ship and capture the guards for questioning, and you certainly could not question someone dead.

Though perhaps a missing finger or two wouldn't hurt.

With a devilish smirk, Wolfram shifted to offense and brought his sword down on the second thug, slashing a gaping wound across the man's chest. No one said he could not wound or torture them. The man went down with a kick to the back of his head. "Two down," Wolfram muttered with a sickening grin on his gorgeous face. Adrenaline was pounding through his veins and he loved it; never mind the nagging pain from the houseki. Only three of the despicable humans were left, and with a single taunt they launched themselves at him. One of the men shot his fist towards his head and he simply blocked the attack, sending his own fist towards the man's gut. It didn't do much, of course, given the man's size and his own, but it was enough to make him bend over and give Wolfram the chance to slam the hilt of his sword down on his nape. The man went down with Wolfram crouched beside his head, then with a simple adjustment to his grip and a single twist of his lithe body, he brought his sword around and slashed the other man who had appeared beside him. With another twist of his wrist he pointed the blade of his sword behind him and plunged it directly through the last thug's thigh, thrusting it deep through his femur.

The man let out a pitiful cry as he fell on his back, clutching his leg through which Wolfram's sword was still embedded. "You fuckin' bitch!" he screamed through clenched teeth. Above him, Wolfram's expression thoroughly darkened, a sadistic glint flashing in those dark orbs. He grabbed his sword and twisted it, earning a pained shriek from the man and a mouthful of curses.

"I'd advise you not to run your wretched mouth, lest you want to die by this bitch's hands." With a rough pull, he yanked his sword from the man's leg, blood spurting like a fountain from the deep wound. If it were not for the houseki, the grunt would have been ash by now for throwing such profanities at him. The man thrashed across the floor, bawling shamefully, before Wolfram ordered his men to bind him up along with the others. He took a moment to steady himself, to calm down the bloodlust that suddenly took hold of him. His pent up frustration from the most recent events was rearing its ugly head at him, and he shivered at the momentary rush of pleasure brought about by the man's agony.

He brought a hand across his face. He'd have to take those self-control lessons from Gisela again once this whole thing was over. And to stick close to Yuuri. Definitely close.

When all of the thugs were tied up and the last man's screams had been reduced to pitiful whimpers, Wolfram ordered his men to search through the crates piled along the walls. He was currently in possession of the orb, and he frowned at the swirling substance inside which was presently not unlike that of copious blood. It had turned a darker shade by each floor they had descended until they reached their current location; clearly, the houseki—whatever form it was in now—was being stored here, most likely inside those crates.

There were the sounds of creaking and splinting wood as the crates were brought down and wrenched open one by one, Wolfram's anticipation heightening by the second. But his excitement plummeted as quickly as it peaked when all that they were presented with was empty boxes.

"What is this?" Wolfram grunted. He shoved one of his men aside and peered inside one of the crates. And alas: it _was_ empty. Hollow. Void. A worthless blank space.

Behind them, the barely conscious thug let out a choking sound that was probably meant to be a laugh. "D'ya thought ya were all 'tat, eh? Hah!" He wheezed. "The great _demon_ country—y'all be writhin' like 'em real demons when yer time com—arrgh!"

In a sudden fit of rage, Wolfram had conjured his flames and burned the man in good measure, before the effects of the houseki overwhelmed his maryoku and the magical flames vanished on their own. The pain in his body intensified and he swayed dangerously, his consciousness threatening to fail him. "Your Excellency!" He heard one of his men call out as he managed to hold himself steady against a nearby crate. Regaining his balance, he glared at the now unconscious grunt, his hatred boiling inside of him.

"Find it." He rounded towards his men and ordered through gritted teeth. "I don't care what you find. A hair, a tooth—_I don't care_. Just find anything that appears relevant to these bastards' sick plans. Now!" he bellowed and his men instantly began their search. For what exactly, Wolfram honestly had no clue. But this mission would not be a failure.

He'd be the one to pull the curtain on that wretched woman's plans, and he'd make certain that there would never be an encore.

* * *

The carrier pigeon flapped its wings once, then twice, before soaring through the dawn's faint gloom. It had been an eventless week since she had ordered the attack on the former prince, a week from that doubt-rendering night.

Pulling the windows shut, Bella glanced at the mess of crumpled papers on the desk and frowned. Amidst them was the most recent letter from her father, an inquiry of the current status of their schemes. Her reply had been a curt affirmation, as she had already explained through an earlier post that their needed cargo had already been unloaded and stored, hidden effectively from the demon people's sight. The only thing left to do was to initiate the actual plan, starting with the supposed "marriage".

Her frown deepened into a scowl as she gathered the letter along with the crumpled pieces of parchment, throwing them into the blazing furnace. Really… it had been to her absolute convenience to be given a room with a fireplace. Any incriminating post from her father had been reduced to worthless ash. She was not complacent that she was free from surveillance, nor was she idiotic.

Collapsing on the floor, Bella watched as the fire scorched the helpless letters, the flames licking their way through the coarse material, forcing their way through and leaving a gaping, dark-edged hole. Just as how that relentless feeling of doubt that had started as a mere sliver became an incessant spark in her consciousness.

For the past week, she had anticipated the demon king to distance himself from her. She had been anxious that Yuuri would rather believe his former fiancé and that would have been a grave mistake on her part. She had ordered for the assault on the little prince on the slight chance that he would be maimed or even killed, but that obviously had been a failure. Her mind had been whirring to form a counter plan against that setback, but all her plans proved worthless at the demon king's response.

…_as much as I want to believe in Wolfram, I want to believe in you, too._

Foolish king, she had thought. Was he really so gullible that he would even choose to believe an already apparent enemy?

"Yes. Yes, he will," Bella muttered dejectedly to herself. Despite her thoughts, her own emotions had started to betray her, and once again she was left wondering exactly who and what this demon king was, for no living being could possibly be as benevolent as he. Instead of ordering his men to interrogate her and torture her for the simple fact that Lord von Bielefeld had been harmed, Yuuri had stayed beside her, going as far as to prove her non-existent innocence. It was laughable at first—he was like a prey purposely hanging its head at its predator. But the humor was short-lived, because the unsuspected guilt had threatened to rule over her senses. Guilt and perhaps something else…

Hoisting herself up abruptly, Bella cursed herself mentally. She would not fall into the demon king's antics. Taking out yet another blank sheet of paper, she hastily wrote another letter for her father, a determined but uncertain gleam in her eyes. They would have to implement their plans sooner than what was decided, else the tables were turned on them by none other than herself. The predator consumes, not the prey, Bella reminded herself.

And Yuuri was the prey.

"…there goes another beauty." Another pigeon flew across the inked sky and there was a low whistle as a lone figure adjusted his position on the hard roof, the hushed tone forming into a dull rhythm as Yozak hummed a nameless song. "That'd be two for today, I guess," he said to no one but himself. "Wonder what got her sending twice?" His Excellency Gwendal's orders were simple surveillance on the human princess, even though it would have been much easier to just catch the carrier birds and reveal what was in those letters. "Cooking up our own scheme, eh?" A smirk drew on his lips as he watched the bird disappear in the horizon, and Yozak mumbled to himself "what, oh, what can it be" over and again.

* * *

Sweat dribbled down his chin as he panted laboriously, his vision hazy from exhaustion. Before him, his opponent had not even lost a single normal breath, the smile on Conrad's face still as calm as it had ever been. Yuuri frowned.

"Conrad!" he whined childishly. "How am I supposed to train seriously if you won't take me seriously?" was the baffling excuse from the young king. Conrad merely chuckled in response.

"And by what means do you assume that I am not taking you seriously, Your Majesty?"

"Don't call me that." The supposedly mature king gave him a pout. "If you really are then you would have _moved_," Yuuri exaggeratedly pointed a finger at Conrad, "you haven't even taken a step from where you are right now!"

Amusingly, Conrad truly had not moved from his spot since their spar began, and Conrad could only smile at Yuuri at this. "That's because you have not made it your aim to make me move, Yuuri. You've been attacking me blindly for the past hour." Yuuri let out a cry at his reply and collapsed on his back, panting feverishly. Conrad let out a sigh of his own and approached the young king, hovering above the young man's line of sight. "There are other means of releasing your frustration other than exhausting your body, Yuuri," said Conrad. "With this method, you risk being hauled to bed by Gunter this early in the morning."

"Or perhaps by Gisela to the infirmary." The young king gave a mirthless laugh. Seeing past Conrad and at the typically blue sky above, Yuuri ran a grimy hand through his damp hair.

"And perhaps by Wolfram himself."

Yuuri brought his gaze back to Conrad. Trust the second son to know the exact words to say, especially when it came to him. "I don't think so," Yuuri grunted as he lifted himself from the ground with Conrad's help. "He'd rather insult me for being a wimp." He stretched languidly that not even a single joint popped, only proving Conrad's point of him not putting the necessary effort in today's training. Yuuri frowned more. The fact that he had not even had a decent conversation with Wolfram since that night only served to darken his mood.

Beside him, Conrad's expression was painted with concern, but Yuuri waved him off. "I'm all right," he reassured.

"Yuuri!"

Both males turned at Greta's cheerful call from the other side of the court yard. Just then, a sudden gust of morning breeze caused Yuuri to shield his eyes from the dust, and he failed to notice the group of soldiers that passed through the hall behind Greta, the small party headed by a figure clad in gold and blue. It was not until the last soldier in line rounded about the corner that Yuuri looked up, Greta being the lone figure that met his sight. "What is it, Greta?"

As the young king fussed over his daughter, Conrad let his gaze turn towards the direction where the soldiers had been headed. It was fortunate that Yuuri had not noticed Wolfram; the blond's mere presence outside his quarters would have raised inevitable questions from the young king, and it was neither the time for answers nor for Yuuri's awareness. He was not at ease in leaving the young king in the dark, particularly since it was his and the country's future that was concerned, but as the Great Sage had explained, it was for Yuuri's own benefit. And for Conrad, the young man's safety was a priority above all.

"Conrad?"

He brought his attention back to the young lad, "Yes, Yuuri?"

"Is there something wrong?" Yuuri asked, his brows furrowed in concern. "You've been staring into space."

Conrad shook his head. "There is none, Your Majesty," he smiled at the pout that Yuuri threw at him for the title, "though I'm afraid you're already late for Gunter's lessons."

Yuuri let out a comical squeak. "Is it that time already?" His eyes fixed on anywhere other than Conrad, a gesture that only marked his intentions of escape. He had never been enthusiastic for Gunter's lessons, and the lessons starting from today only solidified his reluctance. "But we just finished with training and I feel _really_ tired… Gunter won't mind if I just take my rest, will he?" He laughed feebly.

But Conrad was not Gunter, and he was not one to spoil him whenever he wanted. "Perhaps," Conrad started, "but you, yourself, know that you're not as tired as you're supposed to be, Yuuri. A bath may be in order but I'm quite certain you'd make it through Gunter's lessons even without a nap." He then ushered Yuuri and Greta towards the direction of the baths, the young king whining incessantly in protest. The second son merely chuckled at his behavior and chose to remain silent.

He had another reason for not allowing Yuuri his request: on their way to the royal suite, they would have to pass by the war room, where he was positive that a meeting was proceeding at the moment. It was his duty to guard the Maou and to keep Yuuri unaware for as long as the Great Sage deemed necessary. He would have preferred to undertake the missions that had been assigned to Wolfram for he was unwilling to put his younger brother through more harm because of what he had already experienced, but to have the blond guard Yuuri instead was presently out of the question.

At the other end of the castle, said blond had just entered through the double doors of the aforementioned war room. He was covered in grime but nonetheless unharmed, and from the far end of the long table, Gwendal willed himself to relax after long hours of apprehension (if you would count a decrease of the wrinkles on his forehead a sign of relaxation). Wolfram approached the table and, with an audible crash, hoisted onto it the ragged sack he had been holding. The rucksack was about half full of contents that were yet to be revealed, but it was apparent that Wolfram was unsatisfied with the result he had just presented.

"I take it the ships had been quite empty," Murata voiced from his place by the tall windows.

"Quite is an understatement, Your Highness," Wolfram replied. "I had thought that the lack of security when we had arrived was but a blunder on the humans' part, but I was proved wrong." He glared at the poor bag as if it was the source of all his frustrations. "We might have been a bit too late."

Murata walked away from the windows and moved to inspect the sack's contents. "Perhaps," he muttered, "but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. In fact, I have expected as much." Before Wolfram began to protest he added, "We could have not sent you out in the state you were in a few days ago." They heard a grunt from Gwendal at the statement. Not unknown to Murata, Gwendal would have taken the assignment himself to spare Wolfram the danger. He, himself, was an experienced wielder of maryoku and would have proved sufficient for the job. If not for the Great Sage, he would not have conceded to letting Wolfram participate in this whole ordeal than what was necessary. However, he had other pressing matters to attend to.

"Not to worry, though, Sir von Bielefeld," Murata hummed as he brought out a rusted necklace from within the bag. "Your efforts will not be wasted. Sir von Voltaire?"

With a curt nod, Gwendal gave instructions to Huber for the interrogation of the captives, and the man left the room for the task. "Gunter," the first son called. "How are the invitations proceeding?"

An unusual frown was present on Gunter's face as he scanned through the documents he currently held. "The invitations have already been forwarded throughout the kingdom. Anissina shall return by dusk from Karbelnikoff, and Cheri-sama will leave Spitzberg tomorrow with Lord Stoffel."

"And His Majesty's lessons?"

"We are to begin with his lessons today. As a matter of fact, we are already behind schedule," Gunter's frown deepened, "though I suppose His Majesty would rather not push through with it and I would gladly concede—"

"Gunter," Gwendal sighed. He could already feel the beginnings of another headache, regardless that the one before it had not faded in the slightest. He turned his grey gaze at Wolfram, the headache worsening at the expression that painted the blond's face. "Wolfram," the young lad gave a jerk at the mention of his name, "you're supposed to be proceeding to your room by now."

Wolfram shuffled from one foot to another, apparently reluctant to return to his confinement. After a long period of rest, his room proved more of a detention center than a place of comfort, and the silence he was always left with only served to remind him of cruel reality. And now, Gunter's rants had just reminded him of the occasion what was to take place after three days. Talk about persistent. "His Highness might have another task for me," he mumbled. "Besides, I don't like lying to Yuuri..." He pouted as Murata let out a muffled snigger and Gwendal groaned.

For the past week, despite his and everyone else's efforts to keep the young king away for one reason and another, Yuuri had made it his own mission to "take care" of Wolfram. One would think that the best option to make after enraging someone was to keep a good deal of distance from that person, but trust Yuuri to prove that fact otherwise. He had reasoned his actions out as a form of apology—not that Wolfram had any complaints about spending more time with Yuuri, but it posed as a difficulty for their actions and he truly did not like lying to the young king.

"We would have a bigger problem if Shibuya finds your room empty, though," Murata grinned at him and Wolfram pouted more. "Saa… time to proceed to our respective tasks," the Sage stated as he grabbed the rucksack and proceeded to push Wolfram out of the room. "After all," he gave his signature grin, "we have an engagement to prepare for."

* * *

**A/N:** And that's that for this chapter. :) I thought I'd be able to wrap this up with twenty chapters or less, but I think I might just break that. Haha. That kinda makes me happy since this is the first time I've made it this far. ;D Over a hundred pages and counting—woot! Oh, but to be honest, I don't have that much experience with action scenes yet, so if that part with Wolfram felt a bit awkward, just tell me, 'k? Reviews are most welcome, so don't be shy to throw whatever it is at me. Suggestions on how to write fight scenes more properly will be very nice, too. :)

Thank you so much for reading!


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